San Luis Potosi: City of Legends

	Capilla de Loreto

Its storied past and its spectacular architecture combine to make San Luis a colonial jewel that rivals Guanajuato, Zacatecas and San Miguel, but it’s still off the beaten track for most tourists.

Story and photos by Tracy Barnett

One can easily be deceived by the modern, industrial exterior of this city, ringed as it is by factories, American hotel and fast-food chains and warehouses. But to venture into the colonial heart of San Luis Potosi is to take a step back to an era where stories lurk behind every baroque façade. These are the legends Potosinos hold close as they point to the buildings where the history of Mexico unfolded.

There, just on the side of the Plaza de Armas, is the Palacio de Gobierno, where Benito Juarez made the nation’s temporary capital when the French invaded. That’s where he signed the death sentence for French emperor Maximilian in 1867, despite the tearful pleas of Princes Inés de Salm-Salm. The princess, an American who had married into Maximilian’s family, had traveled through the war-torn countryside to make a plea for Maximilian’s life and that of her husband, who had been captured with him. She succeeded only in saving her husband.

	Main Cathedral, Plaza de Armas

On the other side is the Palacio Municipal with its soaring arches, ceiling tapestries and marble staircases. The art lover, world traveler and bishop Ignacio Montes de Oca lavishly reconstructed the palace in 1892 in the Italianate Neoclassical style and established an extensive library, much of which went out the high arched windows along with the ornate classical furniture when angry mobs sacked the palace during the revolution.

Then there’s the modest stone house in Barrio San Miguelito where Francisco I. Madero, held prisoner by Dictator Porfirio Diaz, wrote the Plan de San Luis Potosi and then sneaked out as guards slept to escape to San Antonio, Texas, where he launched the revolution.

The cemetery, too, is filled with stories. There you will find, amid a pantheon of colorful characters, the Tomb of Juan del Jarro, the homeless wise man of Potosino legend who shared his alms with his fellow beggars and his sage advice with the townsfolk.

Angels and apostles

	Templo del Carmen

It’s easy to lose oneself in the guided walking tour of the city’s center, marveling at the sumptuous architecture at every turn. There’s the fantastic churrigueresque Templo del Carmen, among the most spectacular buildings in San Luis, bedecked with an altar of gold from the surrounding mines that made San Luis one of the richest centers of colonial New Spain. The baroque main cathedral’s rose-colored limestone is flanked by ornate carvings and a phalanx of marble apostles, replicas from San Juan de Letrán Basílica in Rome. Above it all is the watchful figure of the Virgin de la Espera, an unusual manifestation of the Madonna with a distinctively protrusive belly.

	Caja de Agua

Plaza after plaza unfolds its antique charm with a mixture of European colonial styles, pedestrian malls and parkways invite the visitor to continue wandering beyond the city center. The Calzada de Guadalupe leads pedestrians from the city’s center to the past the Caja del Agua, a fusion of 19th century neoclassical public art and state-of-the-art engineering that provided a central collection point for the city’s water supply. To this day, processions of devotees crawl the length of the calzada on their knees to offer penitence to the Virgin of Guadalupe, enshrined in the temple at the far extreme.

History comes to life

	Estudiantina or minstrel group

While the architecture of San Luis is a testimony to its colorful past, the history comes alive in its people. A continual lineup of cultural activities is designed to engage the public - locals and tourists alike - in a celebration of the city’s past. Wandering minstrels in festive medieval attire often perform traditional melodies and dances; street festivals present classical and indigenous music and dance from a wide range of traditions. Walking tours of the city often include stops at historic sites, where colorfully costumed characters engage the audience along the way with stories of history and lore.

A tour and lecture series is aimed at getting residents out of the city center and engaged in the equally fascinating historic neighborhoods in an effort to promote civic pride, but Spanish-speaking tourists can come along for a fascinating crash course in regional trivia.

A welcoming army of tourism students under the watchful tutelage of staff is always available to answer questions and provide helpful maps and tours.

	Folkloric Dancers, Plaza del Carmen

Semana Santa in San Luis

San Luis shines especially brightly during the holidays, and never more so than during Semana Santa. The city comes alive during this second most festive of holiday in Mexico, when half the country heads for the beaches and the other half for the mountains.

San Luis competes for its share with a full lineup of cultural and sporting events, none more colorful and mysterious than the one on Good Friday. The Procesion de Silencio (Procession of Silence) features hooded guilds or cofradías march through the historic center to the cadence of a slow drumbeat. Sad-faced penitents dragging their chains are followed by straining and sweating men bearing enormous platforms with scenes of Christ’s passion. Certainly a serious Catholic theme, but it doesn’t stop the vendors from selling their wares or the visitors from enjoying their celebratory mode.

	Stairway to nowhere, abandoned mining town of Cerro San Pedro

‘The belly button of Mexico’

San Luis’ reputation as a tourist attraction has not yet reached the stature of other northern colonial cities such as Guanajuato, Zacatecas and San Miguel de Allende, but that can be an advantage for those who want to get off the beaten track. In two days of wandering the city’s historic sites, I didn’t hear a word of English, except from a few friendly Potosinos wanting to practice their language skills.

The city has applied to be added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites but as of yet has not been approved. Tourism officials blame a jumble of utility wires in the historic center that detract from the colonial feel and obstruct photographers. Environmentalists engaged in a battle with a Canadian mining company over the nearby Cerro San Pedro mine suspect the real obstacles to granting the designation are more commercial and political, since putting the city on the list would give more ammunition to those who are fighting development and mining interests.

	Bucolic vistas abound in the countryside near SLP

The abandoned mining town of Cerro San Pedro is a destination in its own right, despite the very visible controversy surrounding the mines. Imagine a tiny Real de Catorce without the tourists; as San Pedro has yet to be placed on the map, a traveler encounters a few day-trippers from the city, but mostly peace and quiet amid the ghostly ruins.

The countryside around San Luis offers mysteries of its own. More than a few abandoned haciendas, including one that was used for the set of the film "Zorro," offer a glimpse into the colonial era.

“They call us ‘el ombligo de Mexico’, jokes Ramon Velazquez, a guide with the San Luis Potosi tourism bureau, with a quick laugh. “We’re just a two hours’ from Zacatecas, Guanajuato and Queretaro, and only four from Mexico City.”

It’s true that San Luis is on the way to many places, but it’s certainly a destination in its own right - UNESCO site or no.