A small taste of San Luis (San Luis Potosi)

Member Name: donruk

Product:	San Luis Potosi
Date:	28/05/02 (1288 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Festive, Good architecture, Unique music

Disadvantages: A little out of the way

San Luis Potosi along with the states of Zacatecas, Gunajuato, Queretaro, and Aguascallientes make up the Mexican colonial heartland. San Luis state is dry and mountianous for the most part, but is more tropical on the eastern tip. The Huichol indians of northern Jalisco, make a pilgimage to San Luis every year in order to gather Peyote cactus in the sacred grounds for religious purposes. The following is my personal experience of San Luis. My stay in San Luis state was veary limited, so I can't give you a complete picture of San Luis, but since I have been there I can try my best to give you a feel of the place. For the most part, I stayed in a small town called Cerritos, not the states capital. The pupose of my stay, was to visit some of my friend's family in Cerritos.

Getting There:

I went to the northern bus station(which offers trips north of D.F) in Mexico City, and took a bus ride that lasted about five hours during the night. We arrived in the city of San Luis Potosi(which is the states capital) late that night, and took a taxi to a hotel in the city center.

My Short Stay In San Luis City:
The next morning, before getting tickets to the town of Cerritos,
I had a chance to explore the state's capital for a short time. San Luis Potosi has great colonial architecture, with a dusty look to it. overall, the city of San Luis Potosi has kind of a colonial/cowboy look to it, as alot of the buildings have a brown and bronze color to them. As we were waiting for the bus tickets, we got some food at the Mercado(indoor market), which was good. I hear that there is a good mask museum called Museo Nacional De Mascara, and an art museum called Museo Regional De Arte Popular in San Luis. On the way back to the bus station we passed by the downtown area, where many locals did their shopping, or their every day thing. My impression of the ci
ty was a good one, and I liked the atmosphere. as A result of being in the
northern part of the colonial heartland and in the desert, San Luis has more of a cowboy look to it than some of the other colonial gems of the heartland.

Cerritos, A Small Taste Of San Luis State:

The route to cerritos was mostly mountains, desert, and some cactus. When we arrived in Cerritos I stayed in my friends father's house, for a good taste of local culture. After I got settled, I set out to explore the town. Cerritos is veary quiet and laid back, much like a western ranch. Alot of the older men wear cowboy hats, and the town itself has kind of a cowboy look. Things like the old abandoned train station, old buildings, and bronze colored statues of local heros reminded me of how a ghost town might look. I gathered that cock fighting was a popular sport in this region of Mexico.
In the town center, I enjoyed hearing the birds sing, while taking in the nice atmosphere.

A Holiday In Cerritos:

My stay in Cerritos happend to be during a local holiday, celebrating the towns patron saint of San Juan(saint John). I saw men in a parade holding an image of San Juan while another man beat a drum. There were some men dressed up as one of the local indian tribes, following close behind, performing an indian dance. As it was getting dark, a full fledged catholic celebration was in effect in the city center. It started off with catholic praise and worship music in the main square. Afterwards, Some young cowboys with red scarfs and hats performed a regional cowboy dance with their female partners. After that, some men wearing black, with cowboy hats, performed music with horned instruments, while a hefty male singer, sung with a powerful voice. The music was unique to that region of mexico, and was veary traditional. Fire works boomed in the sky above, and seemed to complement his voice. I saw a wooden structure shaped like a tower with wheels, bur
st into another firework display of many colors. The wheels were spinning while on fire as the fireworks spread through the whole structure. I have never seen a firework display like this. Some men paraded an image of the Virgin Mary toward her home, which is the church, while a man beat on a drum, and some indians did an indian dance in honor of Maria and San Juan. There was great energy and joy in the way it was celebrated and it ended late at night.

Conclusion:

I know that there is alot more to San Luis Potosi than that I experienced, but my stay was limited. The pupose of my review was to point out some of the local culture of this part of Mexico, and give some idea of what it's like. For example, it is much different in San Luis than some of the more southern Mexican states. San Luis is not the most interesting state in Mexico, but there is plenty to like about it. I hear that there is a ghost town in the mountains west of matehuala called Real De Catorce, and some caverns within the state, so that might be somthing that you would want to look into.

Summary: