Canales of San Miguel de Allende

What's a Canale? It is a projecting roof drain most commonly carved out of stone that adorn most of the homes in San Miguel de Allende.

Walk around town, and you will find a variety of canales from a simple rectangular carved canale to the gato (cat) design above.

This canale was given a decorative metal extension so the water pouring out of it would hit the street and not a person walking on the sidewalk below.  Believe me, you do not want to be nailed by its water gushing out with the force of a fireman's hose when San Miguel gets the occasional downpour.

I just love how the Prickly Pear cactus and the succulent, the Burro Tail,  is growing out of the fish canale.

Such a dainty ivy growing out of this canale.  Even if it is not raining, water from the gardener watering the pots on the mirador runs over the pots's saucers and drains into the canales.

Another cat adorning the striking deep orange wall.

I hauled this canale up from San Miguel to my home in Denver.  This gato sits in my garden and every spring I plant Impatients in him.  What a big grin he has.  I doubt he will scare any of the squirrels away.

The stone is so beautiful with the lichen growing in his crevices. Unless you are driving from Mexico back to the states, you would need Hercules to carry it home for you and shipping it would break the bank.  The canale weighs a ton!