La Historia de Todxs, Artist Residency 2026
MONTE ANAM + ESPACIO 13 x 20
ARTIST RESIDENCIES | WILD NATURE SANCTUARY | PRACTICE
An Interdisciplinary Arts Space and 38+ acre Wild Nature Sanctuary founded by DANCE MONKS in the Picachos mountains of Mexico
After more than twenty-seven years of dedication, DANCE MONKS (Est. 1999) is building a home for its local cultural programs and international artist residencies. ESPACIO 13 x 20 will be located at the foot of the Picachos mountains in the farming village of Estancia de Canal in Guanajuato, Mexico—on land that sings of milpas, Otomí medicine, and deep ancestral memory. Rooted in collaboration with local wisdom keepers, this international project includes 38+ acres dedicated to Monte Anam, a private Wild Nature Sanctuary with native medicinal plants and fauna.
In a world in need of places to gather, repair, and reimagine relationships across borders, this space will offer a sanctuary to reconnect with our more-than-human selves, one another, and the land. As a bicultural experimental dance company, DANCE MONKS grows its work from community-responsive listening. Through more than two decades of collaboration—and raised on both sides of la frontera—the founders, Rodrigo Esteva and Mirah Moriarty, bring unique perspectives on creating bridges of care through interdisciplinary practice.
Join our mailing list to be the first to know when the space opens to the public in 2027, along with the following programs:
MOnTE ANAM
Breathing Mountain (Spanish and Old Irish)
A privately protected
Wild Nature Sanctuary of 38+ acres with guided medicinal plant walks, places for creative listening, healing, and meditation.
APAPACHO
Nahuatl for Soul Care
APAPACHO is an advanced Acupressure program taught by experienced teachers, with a donation-based wellness space for those in need.
APAPACHO is currently offered to families in the farming communities outside San Miguel de Allende and in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In the future, short-term housing at Espacio 13 x 20 will be available for families in need of rest or community care.
La MILPA
Corn, beans, and squash
A seasonal, rain-fed, organic community milpa—an ancient agricultural system of the Anáhuac.
CHANTICO
Fire Keepers
Learn directly from local grandmothers indigenous to these lands through guided medicinal plant walks and the preparation of traditional Mexican recipes that have been handed down for generations.
FAMILY PROGRAMS
CHILDREN'S
LIBRARY
A family library with books in Indigenous languages including Otomí, Mam, Zapoteco, Mixteco, Nahuatl, Mayan, Purépecha, as well as in Spanish, English, and other languages from around the world
OUTDOOR CINEMA
Family-friendly cinema under the stars at Monte Anam.
The projector is 100% solar-powered!
ARTS IN NATURE PROGRAM
programs for families and children, rooted in place-based learning, art making, storytelling, movement, and play.
> More information on our Youth Program
SCHOOL
RESIDENCIES
The international artists who hold residencies in our space will offer FREE workshops and/or performances for children in local underserved public schools.
LOCATION: Over 38 acres of privately protected Wild Nature Sanctuary in the farming village of Estancia de Canal, near San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. The mountain terrain is full of mesquite trees, wild flora, stones, and cacti.
San Miguel de Allende – 15 min | Querétaro International Airport – 1.5 hrs | Guanajuato – 1.5 hrs | Mexico City – 4 hrs
