Experience the best of San Luis Potosí

San Luis Potosí is the capital of its state, a city of the high plateau at about 1,900 metres, founded in 1592 after silver was found in the nearby hills. Its historic centre is built around the Plaza de Armas and the Plaza de los Fundadores, with a baroque cathedral, the Carmen church with its tiled dome, and the Teatro de la Paz.

The city has several fine museums, among them the National Mask Museum and a museum of contemporary sculpture, and the pedestrian streets and gardens of its centre are pleasant to walk. Cerro de San Pedro, a former silver-mining town, lies in the hills outside the city. The waterfalls and jungle of the Huasteca lie to the east, and the colonial city of San Miguel de Allende is to the south.

Enchiladas potosinas, small red tortillas folded around cheese and fried, are the city's signature dish, along with tacos rojos and asado de boda, a pork stew in red chilli. In Holy Week, the Procession of Silence winds through the centre. Days are warm and nights cool on the plateau, with rain from June to September.