San Luís Potosí

San Luís Potosí is a large city in northern central Mexico and the capital of the federal state of the same name. It was named after the French king Louis IX, called "Louis the Saint" (therefore San Luís) and the silver town Potosí in today's Bolivia, because one expected just as much wealth as from the mines there. I stayed for approximately one week within the city with three different hosts and explored the historical centre of the city, which is a World Heritage Site, as well as some other parts of the city and its surroundings.

I arrived in San Luís Potosí together with Ulises who went there from Ríoverde to visit his parents over the weekend. Spontaneously we were invited to join the surprise party on the occasion of Ulises' birthday which was organized by his brother. I stayed one night with Ulises' family before I met my host Tomás and his whole family the next day.

The next day I visited the Cerro de San Pedro, a small village close to San Luís, together with Ulises, his brother Rafa and Tomás. The origin of this municipality and today's federal state San Luís Potosí is due to the discovery of gold and silver ore in its territories during the viceroyalty of New Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Nowadays it seems to be a phantom village as most of the housings of the miners still exist but aren't inhabited anymore. Just on Sundays Cerro de San Pedro fills up with tourists. The original hill of San Pedro doesn't exist anymore as the mining companies moved all the rock from one place to another to extract the minerals. A guide explained us a little bit about the history of the mining village and showed us some objects related to the mining industry like gas lamps and a plastic bottle, which was filled with lead.

On my first whole day in San Luís Potosí I ate only greasy food with lots of chili which damaged my stomage so much that I got sick. Therefore the following days in San Luís were dominated by rest in bed. Thanks to Tomás and his family I quickly got well again as I had a quiet room to rest and I was provided with wholesome and tasty food as well as a lot of tea.

Tangamanga Park is a forested area located in the west of the city of San Luís Potosí, has two lakes, trees that were planted in the mid-1980s, it is home to museums, sports units, cultural centers, a zoo, spa, sports fields and an airplane converted into a cinema. With 420 hectares it is currently considered the largest urban park in Mexico. Unlike other city parks, however, Tangamanga is crossed by streets, so that a large part of the park can be reached by car.

The city centre of San Luís is declared as a World Heritage by the UNESCO and forms part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (Royal Road of the Interior Land), which was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 2010. The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was a 2560 kilometer long trade route between Mexico City and San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, from 1598 to 1882. San Luís Potosí was founded in 1592 after gold and silver were discovered in Cerro de San Pedro. Nowadays the historical centre is framed by a lot of beautiful squares as well as churches and the Metropolitan Cathedral. During the Easter Week it is illuminated for an hour starting at 8 p.m.. The spectacle just lasts for a few minutes but is repeated continuously. Each year a certain region, city or village of the state is honored by this show, in 2019 it was the Pueblo Mágico Aquismón which is located in the Huasteca Potosina. Moreover, thanks to Easter, the government palaces of the city and the state were decorated with elaborate altars.

1. Señor de las Palomas (The Old Man with the Pigeons): It's a character who was part of the history of the historic center of the city during the 80s. This man went twice a day to the Plaza de Armas to feed the pigeons and dedicated a large part of his life to the care and protection of these birds. Testimonies tell us that it was a real spectacle to see him arrive at the square, as the pigeons flew towards him, ate directly from his hand and stood on his shoulders. The interesting thing about this sculpture is that it was placed in the exact place where the man used to feed them.
2. Estatua del Encapuchado (Statue of the Hooded One): This statue represents la Procesión del Silencio (the Procession of the Silence), one of the most important events in San Luís Potosí, performed each year on Good Friday.
3. Juan del Jarro (Juan of the Jug): He is a mysterious man who once walked the streets of San Luís charming everyone with his extravagant personality. Named for the terracotta jar that always accompanied him, Juan was a beggar who dedicated the proceeds of his alms to people in need.
4. La Penitente (the Penitent): This sculpture represents a believer, who makes a pilgrimage on his knees to the Basílica Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe).
5. La Caja del Agua (The Water Box): Its function consisted in receiving the water that came down from the Cañada del Lobo, by means of a long aqueduct with some intermediate fountains. At the Caja del Agua was where the Potosinos were supplied with water in the last century. That's why you can also find a sculpture of a man carrying a container filled with water there.
6. Louis IX, king of France: In many churches and also squares of the city you can find statues or reminders of the French king Louis IX, the patron of the city.
7. Exhibition Javier Marín material: This temporary exhibition which shows monumental heads is travelling around Mexico and the world and was exposed in the Jardín Guerrero when I was visiting the city.
   
8. Dr. Simi: Although not a statue, but a living disguised person, who can be found in many places throughout Mexico, Dr. Simi is an advertising figure of the Farmacias Similares, one of the most important chains of pharmacies within the country. To claim attention and get people into the store, sometimes these figures are dancing on the sidewalk in front of the pharmacy. On this journey this was the first time I met a Dr. Simi.

Over the long Easter weekend Adriana from Tampico visited me spontaneously and we explored San Luís Potosí together with our new host Francisco. He was kind enough to take us both to his house for two nights in addition to his couchsurfer Ruben from Argentina. We participated in the Tour de las siete Cantinas, a parallel celebration to the route of the seven altars on Maundy Thursday. Instead of visiting the seven churches within the city centre this tour is dedicated to visit seven bars. We didn't spend the whole afternoon running from one bar to the next, though, but we explored the city centre and the culinary offerings. San Luís Potosí is especially known for its chocolates, pralines and other sweets from the brand Constanzo, which exists since more than 80 years. Furthermore, the Enchiladas Potosinas, the most typical meal of the city, which is offered in a multitude of variations, is an absolute must when visiting San Luís.

Twice I visited the Centro de las Artes (Centre of the Arts), nowadays a place for musicians and artists of all kinds. From 1904 until 2004 this building served as a prison before it was converted into the Centre of the Arts and it also houses the museum Leonora Carrington, dedicated to the outstanding surrealist artist. Some sections of the prison are still well preserved and have been left in their original condition to show the circumstances of the time. Other prison cells were converted into exhibition or practice rooms. The sculptures and paintings of the British-Mexican artist Leonora Carrington are versatile, but they all reveal the classical characteristics of surrealism, such as spirals instead of eyes.

The Procession of Silence is an event that commemorates the passion and death of Christ and his mother Mary. It occurs on Good Friday night and makes its way through the streets of the historic center of San Luís Potosí. During the event there are the sounds of trumpets and drums, but no participant or spectator speaks. It is one of the most important Holy Week celebrations in Mexico and was declared part of the cultural heritage of the state of San Luís Potosí in 2013.