San Miguel Women: Tamanna Bembenek —Ancient Cultures, New Beginnings
For Tamanna Bembenek, San Miguel de Allende has offered the freedom to bring different parts of herself together: her Indian roots, a career in science and technology, and a lifelong love of art.
Born in India, Tamanna spent decades in the United States, earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Studio Arts and Biology before building a career in health technology. Her move to San Miguel in 2020 gave her the space to return to painting and reconnect with the art, textiles, and mythology that had surrounded her growing up.
Today, Tamanna divides her time between her art and Mexico News Daily, the independent media platform she co-owns with her husband, Travis, where she contributes as a writer and product leader.
In San Miguel, she has found what she calls her “third space”: room to explore who she is beyond professional roles and social expectations. Painting brings her interests in ancient civilizations, science, and cultural identity into conversation, helping her find perspective and connection in an unsettled world.
Her upcoming exhibition, Ancient Wisdom: India & Mexico, brings that exploration to Mexico City. Created with Mexican artist Miguel Cuauhtémoc and supported by the Indian Embassy, it draws connections between the stories and symbols of their respective cultures. The exhibition runs November 1–15, 2026, at Galería Torres del Reloj, Parque Lincoln, Polanco, Mexico City.
For Tamanna, it is an opportunity to share the creative discoveries that began in San Miguel and invite others to consider what connects us across cultures and generations.
Tell us about what you're creating or working on in San Miguel right now.
I'm currently working on paintings for an exhibition in Mexico City with Mexican artist Miguel Cuauhtémoc. The work grew out of something quite personal. I was feeling increasingly anxious about the world and trying to understand what might help. With the political divide, the geopolitical craziness, and all the noise around AI, I had started to feel not just alone but hopeless.
I found myself drawn to ancient history: Indian, Egyptian, Roman, Mesoamerican. Reading these stories or listening to podcasts made me feel less alone. I was searching for common themes, a connection, a sense of belonging. There was something soothing about finding common themes across civilizations, whether I was reading history or the myths woven through it. They reminded me that I'm part of something much bigger than the moment we're living in. Slowly, I started weaving those stories into my paintings through symbols, scripts, and allegory. The more I painted, the more grounded I felt. There are no political messages in the work.
It's a personal journey of trying to make sense of the world we live in today. The Indian Embassy is sponsoring the exhibition because they see culture as a way to start a bigger conversation. For me, that conversation is about what our ancient cultures can teach us about being human today.
How has living in San Miguel influenced your work, creativity, or the way you do business?
I recently wrote about something I call my "third space". The idea comes from sociologist Ray Oldenburg, who described a "third place" as a gathering spot outside home and work. Starbucks later popularized it. At first I thought of it as a judgment-free place. Over time it came to mean something different to me. It became less about a place to go and more about the freedom to simply be.
I needed that freedom because I had started to feel boxed in. Social media sorts everyone into narrower and narrower categories: age bracket, income bracket, zip code, follower count, which side of a hashtag you landed on, or which generation you belong to. I felt I had to fit into someone else's box instead of choosing the values that would make me a good human first. That feeling was claustrophobic.
San Miguel became my third space because time slows down here and life is simpler. Time somehow slowed down when I moved to Mexico. I've written before about how Mexico values quality and the completeness of an experience more than productivity. I've also written about learning that "simple is hard," and about how Mexico has helped me find my inner child again. The slower pace of life is what gave me room to paint, read, and follow my curiosity.
As we get older, we get consumed by societal expectations and stories we tell ourselves. We all need to bring out that "inner child" again to feel free of all that. But one needs to create the space for that to happen.
Here I can simply live and let live. My Indian roots, my American values, and my old soul that keeps pulling me toward ancient worlds don't have to compete. They can all coexist. Painting became the way I express that. For me, creativity is a process, not an outcome. I lose my sense of time, get stumped, get frustrated, and still come out energized, rooted, and grounded. In that space, I stop performing for others and follow my own curiosity.
I believe everyone needs a space like this, where creativity can come out. It might be painting, cooking, gardening, or writing. For me, creating is what makes me feel whole again.
What do you hope people experience, feel, or take away from your work?
I'm showing my work in an exhibition called Ancient Wisdom: India & Mexico, running November 1–15 at Galería Torres del Reloj in Polanco, Mexico City. It's a collaboration with Mexican artist Miguel Cuauhtémoc. He grew up immersed in the symbols and rituals of ancient Mexico, and I grew up surrounded by the colors and deities of India. Separately, we both kept arriving at the same recurring image, the third eye, which we each use to explore higher consciousness. Neither of us knew the other was painting it until we saw each other's work. That discovery felt like another kind of belonging, a connection we had painted before we had even spoken about it.
So what I hope people take away is that same feeling. When the world feels overwhelming, it helps to look at ancient cultures. They remind us that we're part of something bigger, and that makes us feel less alone.
There's a thought or a question behind every painting, but you don't have to see what I see. I'd like people to feel free to make the work their own. That's the freedom I've found in my third space: I can be rooted in who I am and still have room to become someone new. Today, I am enough, but I am not yet done growing. If they leave a little more curious, and a little more willing to make space for their own creativity, I'd be happy.
How would you describe the community of women in San Miguel, and how has it influenced or supported you?
I have to admit that as an introvert, I don't socialize enough to answer your question in the context of the San Miguel social scene. Personally, I have met some very cool women: artists, entrepreneurs, workers, volunteers, and more. In different ways, they have taught me to accept life as is and trust that the universe is working for me instead of worrying about the future. My friend Ann and I often exchange "pick me up" quotes or books that lift us up.
We check in on each other even though we may not see each other often, being busy in our respective lives. My friend Debra pushed me to show my art work in her gallery almost a year ago, had it not been for her, I would have never thought of sharing it with others.
Ann and Nancy joined Tamanna at her art exhibition last year, celebrating her work and the creative connections that make San Miguel such a special place.
As San Miguel continues to grow, what do you hope never changes?
The people, the family life, the community, and the traditions. I've written about these for Mexico as a whole, and they're just as true of San Miguel. I grew up in India surrounded by traditions. As a kid I didn't understand them. I only knew they meant celebrations, food, and family. In Mexico, I found that same warmth in how people come together around faith, food, and family. I've written about how these traditions and this sense of community can be good for our mental health.
In San Miguel, I see that in how families spend time together and how neighbors show up for each other. I love how proud locals are of their faith and traditions. I hope THAT never changes. People can chase growth and still keep these inherent values, and they're a large part of why this place has felt like a third space to me. It's also what makes it possible to live and let live here.
Fast Five
A San Miguel place that always inspires you: The Jardín, where families, kids, and neighbors gather, talk, eat, dance and life slows down.
Your favorite way to spend your weekend in San Miguel: Painting, cooking something new, and letting the day unfold without a schedule.
A local person, business, or project you think more people should know about: Mexico News Daily: a mission driven, independent media platform focused on elevating Mexico’s profile - that I co-own with my husband, Travis and work on when I am not painting.
Something about San Miguel that still surprises you: How often Mexicans smile and greet you
"My San Miguel life is…": Simple, creative, and fuller
Connect with Tamanna
Explore her paintings at tamannabembenek.com and read her writing at Mexico News Daily.
See her work in person at Ancient Wisdom: India & Mexico, a joint exhibition with Mexican artist Miguel Cuauhtémoc, November 1–15, 2026, at Galería Torres del Reloj, Parque Lincoln, Polanco, Mexico City.
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