San Luis Potosi - Day 2

Hotel Lobby

The Hotel Progreso.  We're the 3rd window along.

We got an early start to the day with a telephone call from Australia telling us of the earthquake tragedy in Japan.  I connected to the internet and we looked at the latest news and many photographs.  I thought of the cruisiing yachts scattered around the Pacific ocean, many of them anchored or berthed in positions vulnerable to a tsunami.  Fortunately Pachuca was safe and sound on the west side of the Sea of Cortez with the Baja Peninsula acting as the biggest breakwater in the world.

We had a substantial breakfast at a nearby cafe, trying to get a good start to what we expected to be our one full day of touring in San Luis Potosi.  Brenda did some shopping among a group of nearby street vendors and she purchased some interesting necklaces and tiny purses.  She said that the Indians are very gentle people and allow one to look around without pressure.  I rate shopping just above a prostate examination and went to an ATM to draw some money out.

Indian Street Vendors

Brenda did some thinking while I was away and suggested that we spend 3 nights in SLP instead of 2.  We had originally planned on spending 3 nights, and given that we were happy with our lodgings and had so much more to see in this delightful city, I readily agreed.

Early Ornate Water Storage Tank

We spent the day walking around the center of the city visiting parks and old buildings and also finding surprises that had not been mentioned in the guide book.  One surprise was a very long tree-lined pedestrian open space where we saw one of the city's early water storage tanks, dating from the late 18th century.  A plaque describes it as "... being the most representative monument in San Luis Potosi City because of its elegance, which makes it appear more as an ornamental object than a place for water storage."  Next to this pedestrian area we discovered the Mercado Tangamanga, a fresh produce market similar to the Bravo Market in La Paz, except bigger.  We purchased some fruit and sweet rolls for lunch.

Long Pedestrian Way

Note Suspended Crystal Ship

Golden Altar with Scallop Shell Top

More Baroque Baroque

After lunch we took another stroll, following a path described in one of our tour guides, where we visited several more churches, including the Cathedral, which was built between 1660 and 1730 and is kept in remarkably good condition.  However, for us there were more interesting churches.  The Templo de San Francisco featured a crystal sail ship suspended from the ceiling.  Then there was the Templo del Carmen with its over the top baroque style.   A side chapel was in gold and topped with a giant golden scallop shell.  [Don't forget that you can see the detail in the photos better if you enlarge them by putting the cursor over them and hitting the left mouse button.]

Strong Mexican Music Tradition Lives On