Matehuala is a town in San Luis Potosí. It's the second most important city of the state.
Understand
[edit]The city has about 87,000 inhabitants (2020) but when all the outlying farms and settlements of the greater municipal area are tallied in, the total population number rises to about 102,000. The town lies on the altiplano and its elevation is 1580 meters.
History
[edit]The town has a long and colorful (not to mention violent) history. The area was occupied by an indigenous group called the Guachichiles before the invasion of the Spanish Empire. An expedition under the command of Captain Gabriel Ortiz de Fuenmayor arrived in Matehuala in 1550 and established the town as San Francisco de Matehuala. Unfortunately for Capitan Ortiz, the Guachichiles were not exactly on board with his plan and proceeded to attack Ortiz and his accompanying soldiers, settlers, and missionaries.
The viceroy ordered expeditions in 1551 and 1553 to quell the uprisings, but they were unsuccessful. The area remained a lawless area, inhospitable to Spanish interlopers until rich mining deposits were discovered in nearby Real de Catorce. Peace finally came to Matehuala, leading to its second founding in 1706.
Get in
[edit]There are intercity buses from Monterrey, Saltillo and San Luis Potosí. Serving bus companies are for example Senda and Frontera. See also Bus travel in Mexico.
1 Central de Autobuses. It's 2.5 km south of the city center.
Get around
[edit]
See
[edit]
- 1 Catedral de Matehuala (Immaculate Conception Cathedral), Calle Benito Juárez García 402, Centro. The huge granite, neo-Gothic style cathedral was based on the design of Saint-Joseph des Brotteaux church in Lyon, France. Construction began in 1906 and is still ongoing, as the twin bell towers have yet to be completed.
- 2 Plaza de Armas (Zocalo), Mutualismo 802, Centro. Tranquil park with towering shade trees, paved walkways, a kiosk, and cannons strategically placed to blast anyone who might attack from adjacent buildings. History buffs will appreciate that the town has placed plaques around the plaza to memorialize important events in the town's history, which saw some colorful characters and events during the colonial period, the heyday of the mining industry in the Bajio, and the presence of insurrectionists during the Mexican Revolution.
Do
[edit]Festivals, dances and traditions
[edit]- Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Fiesta de La Inmaculada Concepción). From November 29 to December 8.
- Feast of the Lord of Matehuala (Fiesta del Señor de Matehuala). From December 28 to January 6.
- Regional Fair of Matehuala (Feria Regional de Matehuala). From December 26 to January 10.
- Feast to San Antonio (Fiesta a San Antonio). June 13.
- Commemoration of the foundation of Matehuala (Conmemoración de la fundación de Matehuala). From July 8 to 16.
- Traditional festival of Kings (Fiesta tradicional de Reyes). From the 1st to the 6th of January, the traditional festival of Kings.
- Charamusca Fair (Feria de la Charamusca). Good Friday of each year, in Vicente Guerrero Park (popularly known as "El Pueblo")
- Fiesta San Judas Tadeo in different neighborhoods of the city, mainly in "La Dichasa".
Out of town trips
[edit]You can do a day-trip to the nearby ghost-town Real de Catorce. Have a look into to the Get in section of the town's article.
Buy
[edit]Eat
[edit]Regional food and dishes include:
- asado de boda
- abuches preparado
- picadillo
- tamales
- queso de cabra
- 1 El Mezquite, Carretera Central 57 Km. 2, ☏ +52 488 882 7487. Daily 08ː00 - 21ː00. Comfortably casual restaurant serving modern norteno style cuisine with arrachera and lots of grilled meats, including cabrito (marinated kid goat). Full bar with an extensive selection of tequilas. M$200.
- 2 La Noria, Uruguay 102, ☏ +52 488 882 5334. Daily 12ː00 - 23ː00. Casual, family-friendly restaurant serving traditional Mexican cuisine. The ceviche is recommended as is the chamorro and the caldo Tlalpeño. Ample parking with easy on-off highway access. M$200.
- 3 Mariscos el Aliviane (La Finca), ☏ +52 488 882 3500. Daily 12ː00 - 19ː30. Popular 3-story seafood restaurant with friendly service and good seafood. Soups are a winner here, as is the seafood platter. Big drinks served in deep goblets. M$200.
- 4 Tortas las Sevillanas, México 57 Km. 612, El Gallo, ☏ +52 444 379 8208. Daily 07ː30 - 22ː00. Cool candy and sandwich shop serving fresh made tortas on homemade bolillos (like a small French baguette, but softer crust). Lots of meat and cheese with some spicy salsas optional. Close to bus station. M200.
Drink
[edit]Typical drinks are pulque and mezcal.
Sleep
[edit]A few hotels can be reserved on hotel websites like booking.com. More hotels finds Google Maps.
Budget
[edit]in the city center:
[edit]- Hotel Blanca Estela
- Hotel Maria Esther
- Hotel Posada Real
around the bus station:
[edit]- 1 Nuevo Hotel Sol y Luna, Heroes Potosinos 1612, El Gallo, ☏ +52 488 102 0789. Check-in: 15ː00, check-out: 12ː00. Basic economy hotel, 200 meter walk to bus station. Rooms are pretty barebones and don't have air conditioning, but they're clean and cheap. M400.
Mid-range
[edit]- El Mesón Hotel y Descanso
- Hotel del Parque. Popular hotel from M$1,285 per night (April 2022). Two blocks from the historical center.
Splurge
[edit]Go next
[edit]Your next destination for staying can be:
in the west
[edit]- Real de Catorce. It's a ghost town. Still it has several hotels to stay there.
in the north
[edit]in the south
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