Mexico: San Luis Potosi, State of San Luis Potosi (December 2019)

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(This banner is a juxtaposition of six slices across photos of massive wooden doors of San Luis Potosi′s churches.)

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The city of San Luis Potosi (pop. over 1 million, elevation 1864m) is the capital of the Mexican state carrying the same name. It is located some 360km north of Mexico City, roughly at the center of the triangle formed by the three largest Mexican cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. It was founded in 1592 to exploit silver and gold deposits located in the nearby Cerro de San Pedro. The first part of its name, San Luis, refers to its patron saint, the French King Louis IX (also known as Saint Louis and in Mexico as San Luis Rey de Francia). The second part, Potosi, refers to the rich mines of Potosi in Bolivia discovered 40 years earlier. Today the city is a sprawling manufacturing base, but its historic colonial center still boasts a combination of beautiful churches, stone colonial-style buildings, pleasant small plazas, and good museums.

 

Catedral Metropolitana and Plaza de Armas:

At the heart of the city, the Plaza de Armas is dominated on its eastern side by the cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana de San Luis Rey) built between 1730 and 1854 and dedicated to San Luis Rey de Francia.

 

The cathedral seen from the southwest corner of the Plaza de Armas. Originally it had a single bell tower (the orange one, on the south side). The other tower (with the same shape, but oddly grey) was added in 1910 to celebrate the centenary of the independence of Mexico.

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Facade of the cathedral.

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Inside the cathedral.

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Statues of San Luis Rey de Francia (on the left and at the center) and of El Senor de la Humildad (Christ before his crucifixion, on the right) in the cathedral.

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East side of Plaza de Armas at night, with decorative Christmas lights. The building on the left of the photo is the Palacio Municipal.

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Musicians on the Plaza de Armas.

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Plaza del Carmen:

 

Located a short distance east of Plaza de Armas, Plaza del Carmen is a pleasant square surrounded by several interesting buildings: the Templo del Carmen, the Museo del Virreinato (a former Carmelite convent built in the mid-18th century), the Teatro de la Paz, and the Museo Nacional de la Mascara (the National Museum of Masks, housed in an opulent stone building constructed at the end of the 19th century by a rich landowner).

 

View of the Plaza del Carmen with its large central bronze fountain, the Templo del Carmen on the left, and the Museo del Virreinato on the right.

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Templo del Carmen, built in the mid-18th century and inaugurated in 1764, is arguably the most beautiful church of San Luis Potosi:

 

- Highly carved facade of the church (left and middle photos below) and side entrance (right photo).

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- Multi-colored tiled domes.

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- Bell tower seen from the Teatro de la Paz (left), the plaza del Carmen (center), and the patio of the Museo del Virreinato (right).

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- Inside Templo del Carmen.

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- Lower portions of intricate retables located on the two sides of the nave.

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- Left: extravagantly carved retable marking the entrance of a side chapel, on the left of the main altar. Right: inside the chapel.

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- Zoom on a portion of the retable.

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- Zooms on parts of the side chapel.

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Teatro de la Paz at the southeast corner of Plaza del Carmen. Built between 1889 and 1894, it is one of the four main theaters in Mexico.

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Museo Nacional de la Mascara, on the south side of Plaza del Carmen:

 

- The building′s elegant patio.

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- Some of the masks on display, from various regions of Mexico.

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Templo San Agustin:

 

Located south of Plaza del Carmen, this church built in the 17th century belonged to the Augustinian Order. Its Baroque-style tower was erected later in the 18th century.

 

The church seen from the Jardin de San Agustin.

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Views of the three-storied bell tower ornate with complex stone carvings.

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Interior of the church.

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Statue of Saint Charbel and ribbons with written prayers and wishes addressed to him by worshippers.

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Jardin de San Francisco and Plaza Aranzazu:

 

The Jardin de San Francisco (one of the prettiest in the city) and the Plaza Aranzazu are dotted with religious buildings that were originally part of a large Franciscan monastery, including the Templo San Francisco, the Templo de Sagrado Corazon, and the Capilla de Aranzazu.

 

In the Jardin de San Francisco. Left: statue of Juan del Jarro, a beloved character of San Luis Potosi, named after the terracotta jug that he always carried with him. Right fountain in front of Templo de San Francisco.

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Templo de San Francisco:

- Facade of the church.

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- Left: Zoom on a portion of the facade. Right: Interior of the church.

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- Crystal ship hanging from the church′s main dome.

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- Stained glass windows.

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Tiled facade of the Secretaria de Cultura, next to Templo de San Francisco.

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Inside the Templo de Sagrado Corazon, at the southeast end of the jardin San Francisco.

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Domes of the Templo de San Francisco seen from the Plaza de Aranzazu.

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Another part of the former Franciscan monastery seen from the Plaza de Aranzazu. It contains the Museo regional Potosino (on the first floor) and the Capilla de Aranzazu (second floor).

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Inside the lavishly ornamented Capilla de Aranzazu (mid-18th century).

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Plaza de Los Fundadores:

West of Plaza de Armas, this square marks the place where the city was founded in 1592. Despite its name, the surrounding buildings, mostly large modern shops, are much less interesting than in the other major squares of the city. The most interesting one is the Edificio Central de la Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi (UASLP), a former Jesuit college built in 1653.

 

Central part of the facade of the Edificio Central de la UASLP seen at night from the Plaza de Los Fundadores, with some Christmas lights.

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View of the elegant inner courtyard of the Edificio Central de la UASLP.

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Plaza de los Fundadores at night.

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Templo San Miguelito:

Originally named Templo de la Santisima Trinidad, this church was founded in 1597 on land granted to the Tlaxcaltecab Indians. Its baroque facade was built in 1733.

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Shell above the main altar.

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Calazada de Guadalupe:

 

This large avenue connects the historic downtown to the Basilica de Guadalupe, located 1.6km south of Plaza de Armas. The avenue also leads to the Centro de las Artes San Luis Potosi ″Centenario″, which hosts the excellent Museo Leonora Carrington (since 2018). Shaded tree-lined pedestrian lanes in the wide median strip of the avenue offer a pleasant walk.

 

Caja del Agua and statue of El Aguador. An aqueduct used to bring water from a spring in the nearby Sierra de San Miguelito to the Caja del Agua. Both the aqueduct and the Caja del Agua were put in service in 1835. The statue (added in 2009) represents a 19th-century water boy (″aguador″) carrying water in a terracotta jug to surrounding houses.

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Men enjoying the sun along the avenue.

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On that day, many street vendors were active on the avenue near the basilica.

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Vendor of maguey horneado (baked magey). Magey is a type of agave used to make metzcal.

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Basilica de Guadalupe:

 

The construction of the basilica started in 1772 and was completed in 1800. Its two bell towers are 53m high.

 

Left: alley leading to the basilica main entrance, bordered by two lines of street lamps shaped as large church candles. Right: facade of the basilica.

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Inside the basilica. Like in the Templo de San Francisco, a crystal ship is hanging from the main dome.

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Centro de Las Artes San Luis Potosi ″Centenario″:

 

This art center is housed is a former prison built in 1890. The prison was moved to another location in 1999 and the impressive building was progressively converted into an art center, including education, production, and research in various artistic disciplines. More important for a mere visitor, since March 2018, the building now also hosts the Museo Leonora Carrington. Leonora Carrington (1917-2011), a British-born Mexican artist, was one of the last surviving participants in the Surrealist movement of the 1930s. The photos posted below are only a small subset of the works displayed in the museum.

 

Note: Click here to see photos that I took at another exposition of works of Leonora Carrington in Pachuca (State of Hidalgo, Mexico) in March 2019.

 

Large statue of the ″Inventora del Atole″, by Leonora Carrington, at the entrance of the center.

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Most of works in the Museo Leonora Carrington are presented indoor, but some large bronze statues are displayed outside. Their appearance among the high walls of the former jail is particularly stricking.

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Gato sin botas

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Gallo

 

 

 

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(Head of) A Hug.

 

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Unknown (yes, it is the name of the sculpture)

 

Some smaller sculptures displayed indoor.

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The Ship of Cranes

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Cocodrilo

 

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Ave

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Gallo

 

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La Tamborilera

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La Bandolonista

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Mascara Carnivora

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Aqui Aku 

 

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La Cantante Muda

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Inventora del Atole

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Alto Por Favor

 

One of the colorful lithography displayed in the museum: Animales Fantasticos.

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Gripping bronze statue exposed in another section of the art center (not part of the Museo Leonora Carrington). Called El Espiritu, this statue was created and donated to the center by sculptor Ricardo Motilla. Together, the man′s body posture, his head staring at the sky, and the broken wings on the ground express vividly the unbearable suffering caused by freedom deprivation.

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Some other sights:

Heavy wooden doors of Templos del Carmen (left), de San Agustin (center), and de San Jose (right).

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Massive stone sculpture of Benito Juarez′s head standing in front of the State Congress on Calle Vallejo.

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Corners of colonial-style buildings at street intersections.

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One of the many ornate wrought iron benches that dot the historical center of the city.

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In the El Pacifico cafe, a traditional Mexican coffee place, close to Templo del Carmen.

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Teatro-Cineteca Alameda, southeast of Plaza del Carmen. The building, which mixes Californian and Spanish architectural styles, was inaugurated in 1941 with the presentation of the 1940 movie ″Seven Sinners″ starring Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne.

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Street vendors next to Mercado Hidalgo, north of Plaza de Armas.

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Mural and hat shop in Hidalgo Mercado.

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