San Luis Potosí and Torreon

Date: June 15, 2024

After spending two days in Querétaro relaxing in our friends' apartment and doing absolutely no sightseeing we drove on towards Torreon. On the way we stopped for lunch and a stroll in San Luis Potosí.

On Plaza de Armas we passed the government palace:

It is built in the neoclassical style but has had quite a long building process. The first stone was laid in 1770 but proper construction did not start until 1798 and lasted until 1827. The building has undergone several modifications and in 1910 the clock was added to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the beginning of the independence of Mexico.

Plaza de armas is the largest plaza in San Luis Potosí and in addition to the government building it houses the Metrpolitan cathedral:

On Plaza de Aranzazú we saw the church and former Franciscan convent that was built in 1686-1718 in the Baroque style:

Looking along the side behind the church we can see the majolica tile covered dome:

Yet another church on another corner of the same Plaza:

View of the plaza:

An adjoining street:

We passed Plaza de Armas and the government palace again on the way back to the car after lunch:

Shoe shop with an impressive Art Nouveau-style glass canopy:

We drove on and slept in a roadside hotel before continuing to Torreon the next day which was a Saturday. We quickly checked in at our hotel, parked the car and walked as fast as we could in near 40 degrees Celcius to check out "El Canal de la Perla" before closing time.

El Canal de la Perla is an underground irrigation canal built in 1891-1893 as part of an irrigation system to transport water from the river Nazas to the cotton fields on the western side of Torreon. As Torreon grew it became less relevant for irrigation and by 1925 its function was more as a drainage canal during heavy rains. Finally in 1968 it was closed off. In 2003 it was rediscovered and restored and is now used as a cultural center and tourist attraction.

The original canal was over 12 km long. However, the part that has been restored and opened to the public is only about 500 m:

It is used for art exhibitions by local artists:

It also had a long stretch of wall with old photos from the past of Torreon: