Ofcourse everyone must see Atotonilco, Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Queretaro and eventually Leon and Guadalajara, but here are the interesting more unknown towns, managable in size and distance from San Miguel. These are basic directions, distance & their local traditional special crafts:

The more you see the more you want to see!

Estado de GUANAJUATO:
Apaseo El Alto about 7 miles E of Celaya on Mex 45 -- woven woolen goods, worked wood
Comonfort 20 miles N of Celaya on Mex 51 -- wooden furniture, metates (curved grinding stone)
Coroneo 20 miles E of Acámbaro on Mex 120 -- decorated pottery, woolen blankets
Juventino Rosas about 10 miles WNW of Celaya -- toys, masks
Manuel Doblado 50 miles W of Irapuato just off Mex 41 -- fancy charro and palm-frond hats
Moroleón about 30 miles S of Salamanca just off Mex 43 -- glazed pottery, woolen serapes and rebozos
Ocampo 16 miles SE of Ojuelos de Jalisco, Jalisco on Mex 51 -- woolen serapes
Pozos five miles SE of San Luis de la Paz on Mex 46 -- largely a ghost town producing drawn-thread silver
San Diego de la Unión 25 miles NNE of Dolores Hidalgo -- woven woolen goods, earthen flowerpots
San Felipe 33 miles NW of Dolores Hidalgo on Mex 51 -- glazed pottery
San Francisco del Rincón 15 miles SW of León -- hats
Tierra Blanca in mountains on bad road 35 air-miles ENE of San Miguel de Allende -- palm-frond and fancy charro hats
Uriangato about 27 miles S of Salamanca on Mex 43 -- cotton rebozos
Valle de Santiago about 25 miles S of Salamanca on Mex 43 -- cotton rebozos

 

Estado de MICHOACÁN:
Angahuan mountains and volcanoes, pine trees-make textiles
Uruapan cotton rebozos, woolen items
Carapan 35 miles N of Uruapan on Mex 37 -- woolen and cotton items, wooden furniture
Charapán mountains 15 air-miles WNW of
Uruapan woolen items, clay pottery
Erongarícuaro southwestern shore of Lago Pátzcuaro -- woolen and cotton rebozos, glazed earthenware
Huandacareo western shore of Lago de Cuitzeo -- glazed clay toys
Huetamo 110 miles S of Zitácuaro on Mex 49 -- gold jewelry, leather sandals
Maravatío 85 miles ENE of Morelia -- furniture of wood and reed
Opopeo 10 miles S of Pátzcuaro -- cotton huipiles, embroidered blouses
Paracho 15 miles N of Uruapan on Mex 37 -- stringed musical instruments, woven woolen items, wooden trays and chess sets
Pátzcuaro traditional silver jewelry, artistic candles, toys of wood and cloth, decoratively lacquered trays and chests and cotton items, religious items, all types of wooden and rush chairs, table chests
Purépero 50 miles N of Uruapan on Mex 37 -- hand-embroidered cotton shirts, embossed leather items
Puruándiro 80 miles NW of Morelia -- leather sandals
Quiroga 27 miles W of Morelia on Mex 15 -- musical instruments, leather goods, lacquered items, wooden toys
Santa Clara del Cobreup a 20 minute moutain road from Patzcuaro…the finest of hand hammered copper
Tinguindín about 35 miles SW of Zamora -- wooden lamps and trays
Tlalpujahua on border of Michoacán and México states 65 miles NW of Toluca -- Christmas tree ornaments, ceramics
Tzintzuntzan 10 miles NE of Pátzcuaro -- glazed,hand-painted pottery, woodcarvings, Straw Christmas tree decorations and reed mats produced by Tarascan Indians
Villa Escalante 10 miles SW of Pátzcuaro -- copper handicrafts
Zinapécuaro 30 miles NE of Morelia on Mex 120 -- fine toys and flowerpots of glazed clay
Zirahuén about 18 miles SW of Pátzcuaro -- dolls of wood and cloth

Estado de QUERÉTARO:
Bernal about 33 miles NE of Querétaro -- woolen blankets, wall hangings, serapes, carpets
Cadereyta about 45 miles NE of Querétaro on Mex 120 -- saddles, overcoats
Colón about 33 miles NE of Querétaro -- woolen serapes and blankets
Tequisquiapan 25 miles NE of San Juan del Río -- woolen goods, wooden furniture, various kinds of handmade baskets
Tolimán about 50 miles NE of Querétaro -- woolen goods