Will inhabitants of Ajijic Mágico be forced to erase the rainbow-hued building facades and scores of decorative murals that put such a distinctive stamp on the village and repaint the place in a matching color scheme?

Don’t fret. Pueblo Magic status won’t mean local artists will have to paint over the town’s emblematic street art.

There are indeed some Pueblo Mágico destinations that do adhere to certain restrictions on the appearance of local edifices, signage and architectural characteristics. The Jalisco Magic Towns of Mazamitla and Tapalpa are an example. After dark illumination in streets San Sebastián del Oeste, a former mining town tucked in the state’s costal sierra, is ordained to employ old-fashioned oil lamps. Such qualities concur with local customs that long pre-date the advent of the Pueblo Mágico program.

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