San Luis Potosí

A colonial city on the Royal Road of the Interior, with pink-stone churches and squares everywhere. It is the gateway to Real de Catorce and the Huasteca mountains.

San Luis Potosí is the capital of the state of the same name in north-central Mexico, at an elevation of about 1,860 m. The city was founded in the late 16th century because of silver and gold mines on nearby Cerro de San Pedro, and it borrowed its name from Potosí, the silver capital of Bolivia. The old town is known for its pink 'cantera' volcanic stone buildings, and its squares, churches and pedestrian streets are densely packed. In 2010, it was inscribed as part of the World Heritage Royal Road of the Interior (Camino Real de Tierra Adentro).

Areas to explore: (1) The old-town core. Plaza de Armas, the cathedral, the Palacio de Gobierno, Plaza del Carmen (with the Carmen church, the Teatro de la Paz and the Mask Museum), and Plaza San Francisco with the Aranzazú Chapel. A full day on foot covers them all. (2) South of the centre. Avenida Guadalupe, the Tanque de Dolores pavilion, the Sanctuary of Guadalupe, and an arts centre in a former prison. (3) Southwest of the city. Tangamanga Park and the Maze Museum. (4) Half-day trips outside town. The old silver-mining town of Cerro de San Pedro, the shawl-weaving town of Santa María del Río, and the Gogorón hot springs.

Climate: The high-altitude plateau is semi-arid. March to May and October to November are clear and comfortable. June to September brings afternoon thunderstorms, and winter mornings and evenings are cold.

Getting there: The international airport has flights to Mexico City, Monterrey and US cities. Long-distance buses connect to Querétaro (about 2.5 hours), Guanajuato and Zacatecas. The old town is best explored on foot, and outlying sites by taxi or car. A stay of 2 days is recommended. Heading north to Real de Catorce (about 3 hours) or east into the Huasteca mountains usually requires an overnight stay. Be sure to try the potosino-style burrito and Huasteca cuisine.

Top sights

• San Luis Potosí Cathedral – A Baroque cathedral on the east side of the Plaza de Armas. Its pink quarry-stone facade is topped by twelve apostle statues, and its twin…
• Templo del Carmen – An 18th-century Churrigueresque masterpiece. Its ornate pink-stone facade and gilded altarpieces are extraordinarily elaborate, and it is c…
• Museo Nacional de la Máscara – A museum housed in a French-style palace, displaying more than a thousand ritual and festival masks from across Mexico, with bold colors an…
• Plaza de Armas & Government Palace – The main square of the old city center, with a stone gazebo in the middle. The neoclassical state government palace on the west side was on…
• Teatro de la Paz – A neoclassical theater completed in 1894, its Corinthian colonnade façade dignified and ornate, with its foyer and auditorium retaining a c…
• Plaza & Templo de San Francisco – One of the most relaxing squares in the old city, surrounded by 17th- and 18th-century Franciscan church and monastery buildings, with rest…
• Museo Regional Potosino & Capilla de Aranzazú – A museum in a former Franciscan monastery. Upstairs, the Aranzazú Chapel, an 18th-century baroque masterpiece, has a gilded interior.
• Calzada de Guadalupe & Caja del Agua – A two-kilometer tree-lined avenue linking the old town with the Basilica of Guadalupe. The neoclassical pink-stone water tower at its entra…
• Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe – An 18th-century baroque shrine at the southern end of Guadalupe Avenue, with tall twin towers and a bright, spacious neoclassical altar ins…
• Centro de las Artes & Museo Leonora Carrington – An arts center converted from a 19th-century circular prison, with its radiating cell blocks and watchtower preserved. It houses a museum d…
• Museo Federico Silva Escultura Contemporánea – A sculpture museum in a converted 19th-century neoclassical school building, showing large works by Mexican sculptor Federico Silva, inspir…
• Parque Tangamanga I – A large city park of about 420 hectares in the southwest of the city, with a lake, tree-lined running paths, a planetarium and the Laberint…
• Museo Laberinto de las Ciencias y las Artes – An interactive science museum designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta. Its colorful geometric buildings are a draw in themselves, a…
• Cerro de San Pedro – The city's birthplace: a small mining town where gold and silver were discovered in 1592. Two colonial churches, old mine remains and barre…
• Mercado Hidalgo – A traditional market on the north side of the old town, where you can eat local enchiladas potosinas and buy milk candies and handmade rebo…
• Museo del Ferrocarril Jesús García Corona – A museum in a 1930s Art Deco railway station, with a steam locomotive and carriages, and a mural by Fernando Leal in the main hall.
• Santa María del Río – A small town about 45 km south of the city, famous nationwide for its handmade silk rebozo shawls. Visitors can tour the weaving school and…
• Gogorrón Hot Springs – A hot springs resort in Gogorrón National Park, about 50 km south of the city. Natural thermal water feeds several outdoor pools, and it's…

Where to eat

• La Parroquia Potosina – A historic restaurant in the old town since 1975. Many diners rate its enchiladas potosinas the best, and it serves fro…
• La Posada del Virrey Restaurant – A restaurant of more than forty years in a historic Casa de la Virreina mansion on the Plaza de Armas, where you dine i…
• Rincón Huasteco – A Huasteca restaurant opened in 1991 that has repeatedly appeared in Mexico's dining guides. Its giant zacahuil tamales…
• El México de Frida – A traditional Mexican restaurant open for nearly thirty years, decorated with a Frida theme. Its cheese-stuffed chiles…