In colonial San Miguel, the urban sphere is defined by facades and walls; the demarcation between public and private is very clear.  The resulting urbanity is paradoxical:  Its bustling, hard-scaped streets yield to quiet, verdant, interior courtyards.  Openings to the street therefore take on a very different character from openings to courtyards.  As a result, much of the life in the city is hidden from a pedestrian’s everyday view and can create the sense that spaces are ‘discovered.’