by Audrey Jacobs

Most people walking down Relox Street in the historic center of San Miguel de Allende notice the building immediately. The pink stone façade is lined with carved animals. Lions sit on the roofline. Birds, elephants, horses and other creatures march along the cornice. Above the central balcony is a Star of David and the words "Arca de Noé." Locals know it simply as La Casa de los Animales or El Arca de Noé. What many residents do not realize is that this building was once the home and business of the first Jewish family to settle in San Miguel.

From Damascus to Mexico

Isaac Cohen was born in Damascus, Syria in 1890. Like many Jews in the early twentieth century facing persecution and limited opportunities, he left the Middle East in search of a better life. He left sailing the seas not knowing in what country in the Americas he would land.

He arrived in Mexico City around 1920 with little money, no formal education, but something very valuable, an instinct for trade. Though he could not read or write, he could sell anything.

Rachel Turquie, who was also born in Damascus, nineteen years after Isaac in 1909, also arrived in Mexico City, with her father, a few years after Isaac. The two of them married in 1926.

Soon afterward, Isaac observed to his young wife that life in Mexico City was expensive and difficult, and he proposed moving to a smaller town. He took her to see three small towns and she knew with its beauty and charm San Miguel was the best and chose it.

It was 1927, during the turbulent years of the Cristero War, when the couple moved to San Miguel. According to family members, on Rachel's first night in town she heard gunfire. Isaac told her it was fireworks. The next morning, she saw bodies hanging from trees. Overcoming those shocks, in a country whose language she did not speak, she built a life.

Building Casa Cohen

The family's first home was at Casa Canal, then a boarding house. Later they moved to San Francisco Street, where Isaac opened a small dry goods store. By 1930 the growing family relocated to calle Relox. Over several years Isaac purchased neighboring properties piece by piece until he owned the full stretch from Relox 12 to Relox 18.

The structure at the time, home and store was a modest single story with a vegetable garden and a stable in the back. Between 1932 and 1942, the building under Isaac's vision was transformed into the striking structure seen today.

The façade took only 79 days to complete, with crews working three shifts around the clock. Isaac asked local stone carvers to decorate the building with animals inspired by the biblical story of Noah's Ark. He also placed Stars of David prominently on the exterior, a bold choice in a deeply Catholic town. For decades, the building became one of San Miguel's most recognizable landmarks.

As the building grew, so did his family. The Cohens had 10 children all born in that home.

A Store That Had Everything

Inside Casa Cohen, the ground floor served as a store that gradually became one of the most important commercial establishments in town. Isaac sold everything: corn, soap, candles, fabric, clothing, perfume... If customers needed something he did not carry, he would find it, including coffins. As the town grew, so did the business.

After Isaac passed away and the eldest son David took over, the shop evolved from a hardware store to manufacturing. By the 1950s the Cohen family was producing tiles, brass hardware, wrought iron furniture, and metal molds. The family foundry supplied many of the decorative brass elements still visible throughout San Miguel. If you notice a brass door knocker with a woman's hand - that's a Casa Cohen design.

According to family members, at its height the business employed nearly eighty workers and was known as HerCo — Hermanos Cohen.

Quiet Jewish Life in a Catholic Town

While the Cohen family became deeply integrated into the community, they also maintained their Jewish traditions privately at home. The store closed on the Jewish high holy days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Shabbat candles were lit every Friday night and Shabbat dinner was mandatory for the family.

Although Isaac himself could not read, he kept a Spanish-Hebrew prayer book beside his bed. During holidays, the children took turns reading prayers aloud. Today the youngest of the Cohen children has that prayer book by his bedside.

A Tradition of Giving

Perhaps the most remembered legacy of Isaac Cohen was his generosity. Every year on January 6, Día de los Reyes, thousands of residents gathered outside the store. Isaac distributed candy to children, fabric to women, and coins or food to anyone who came. Archival photographs from the 1940s show crowds filling the street outside the building.

When hospitals or libraries needed help, Isaac often donated supplies quietly. What was important was that he gave, not that he received credit. As one family member later explained: "He believed the best way to teach your children was not through advice, but through example."

A Family Legacy

Isaac Cohen died in 1953 from complications related to untreated diabetes. His eldest son, David, left engineering school at the age of nineteen to take over the family business. The Cohen enterprise continued for decades, expanding into manufacturing and selling decorative brass and home goods. Rachel Cohen lived to be nearly 100 years old, passing away in 2004.

A New Chapter for an Old Landmark

Today the historic property has been restored and reimagined as Dôce 18 Concept House and Casa Arca, a luxury hospitality and shopping destination in the heart of the historic center. The building remains protected as a national historic monument.

The animals still watch over calle Relox. The Stars of David remain carved into the pink stone. And the story of the Cohen family, immigrants who built a life, a business, and a legacy of generosity, continues to be part of San Miguel's living history.

Stories and Experiences Shared

This is one of many stories I've begun to collect since moving to San Miguel last year. Throughout my life, I've been drawn to investing my time in local culture, the arts, and the Jewish community. Here, that has taken the form of interviewing longtime residents, preserving their stories, and bringing people together through intimate cultural salons, Shabbat dinners, and holiday gatherings.

If you’d like to be invited to a future Shabbat dinner with homemade challah, feel free to reach out:

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