A Tour of the City of Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

Saltillo, the capital of the state of Coahuila, was founded in 1577 by Captain Alberto del Campo. At the end of the XVII century, Saltillo was the capital of one of the most extensive domains in America, since it included the current territories of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, and Texas; in 1827, Saltillo received the category of city.

How to get to Saltillo

Saltillo is perfectly communicated with other cities by an extensive highway network, being 85 km from Monterrey, 452 km from San Luis Potosí, 373 km from Zacatecas, and finally, 278 km from Torreón, which represents the natural route of the northwest of the country through Durango and Chihuahua. It also has air communication with a functional airport, as well as railroad communication.

Saltillo Attractions

In Saltillo, you can admire buildings that give a character, perhaps the most beautiful and uniform, of the northern cities. The main attractions are its constructions of the XVIII and XIX centuries, such as the Plaza de Armas, where there is a fountain with bronze nymphs, of marked neoclassical accent, whose beauty is enhanced by being the only monument in the zocalo.

Opposite the plaza is the Cathedral, built between 1746 and 1810, dedicated to the Apostle Santiago; it is one of the most beautiful baroque constructions in the country. In the main facade is one of the most fortunate samples of baroque that can be found not only in the north but throughout the country, as well as the Church of San Juan Nepomuceno, built in the nineteenth century with beautiful altarpieces by Gonzalo Carrasco.

The Temple of San Esteban, built in the XVIII century, still conserves its original facade; the Temple of Cristo del Madero, of the baroque facade, an old house of hybrid style with a dominant neogothic inspiration; the House of Juárez, the so-called because the "Benemérito de las Américas" lived in it and where the General Archive of Coahuila is currently located.

The Casino of Saltillo, a building of the XIX century, is very well conserved, of neoclassical inspiration; the buildings of Saltillo are of admirable beauty and we can verify it in its Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Palace of Government, the Theater of the City Fernando Soler, of remarkable presence for its finishes in pink quarry and the neoclassical style of the XIX century.

The Ateneo Fuente, an imposing quarry and marble building; the Tecnológico de Saltillo and the Convention Center, as well as beautiful recreational centers such as the Alameda Zaragoza, a magnificent place to rest or walk under the shadows of numerous trees, and the Ciudad Deportiva (Sports City). There are fountains, a lake, playgrounds, and the State Library, a sober building of neoclassical inspiration.

Saltillo's museums are many and varied, such as the Rubén Herrera Art Museum, which contains works by this artist; the Center for Visual Arts and Aesthetic Research, an important center for cultural activities. There are usually temporary exhibitions of regional, national and international artists. The Centro Cultural Vanguardia and the Museo de las Aves, a private museum that gathers most of the species of these animals existing in America.

The murals in some public buildings make more relevant the visit to these constructions like those of the Municipal Presidency, the Government Palace, the Palace of Justice, and the Congress of the Union, all made by recognized artists, such as González Camarena, Salvador Almaraz, and Elena Huerta, as well as the monumental sculptures of Francisco I. Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Manuel Acuña and Ignacio Zaragoza in different points of the city.

Surroundings of Saltillo

Only 20 km from Saltillo on the road to Arteaga, which by the way offers one of the most beautiful landscapes of the state, is "El Castillo de Arena", a surprising subway construction, comprising several galleys, rooms, and halls nestled in a sandstone bank. Very close to Arteaga are the Grutas del Caballero, welcoming a surprising mass of stalagmites.

Inside it has a unique variety of colors: reds, oranges, yellows, blues, greens, and violets. The imposing mountains of the Sierra de Arteaga, a solid presence, give way to others where pine and oak forests, fertile hills, springs, and streams abound, giving the impression of being in another different part of the country.

You can visit the El Chorro Forest Park, as well as the Cañón de la Carbonera, the Cañón de la Roja, the forests of Santa Rosa, Santa Amalia, Santa Rita, Siberia, and Mesa de Tablas, where you can spend unforgettable days in the countryside. The Lirio and Tunal valleys are also magnificent walks of great beauty.

At 12 km from Saltillo is Ramos Arizpe, a picturesque town whose main attraction is the Ojo Caliente thermal spa and the Amargos and Hipólito dams, where you can practice sport fishing; it also has the Temple of San Nicolás Tolentino from the XIX century, worth visiting.

At 4 km from Ramos Arizpe, is Santa Maria, where the Temple of Santa Maria, built in the XVII century in plateresque style and beautiful altarpieces, is still standing. For those who like mountaineering, you can find in the eastern part of Saltillo, the Cerro de San Rafael, with 3,710 m of altitude.

Saltillo Handicrafts

Here the artistic articles made of a wrought iron stand out; furniture carved from tin, copper, or bronze leaf; printed fabrics, northern style clothing occupying a predominant place, the traditional sarapes of Saltillo, the work of skillful weavers of wool and cotton, in intense striped colors and diverse figures in admirable form, which are already of international fame.

Festivals and fairs in Saltillo

Saltillo dresses up to celebrate in March when its colorful carnival takes place, with allegorical floats, fireworks, and an infinity of very cheerful shows.

From July 23 to August 6, the Coahuila State Fair is held, with agricultural, livestock, and industrial expositions, as well as charreadas and palenques.

On September 13, the Cristo Crucificado del Ojo de Agua ("Crucified Christ of the Eye of Water") is celebrated, with groups of dancers from all regions of the state, who masterfully perform their dances.

Cuisine in Saltillo

This region is characterized by its excellent dishes based on beef and goat, thanks to the fact that it is a great cattle producer. The most representative stews are the fritada de cabrito, the machacado con huevo, cabrito al pastor, machitos and stews.

The sweets are made mainly with milk and walnuts, homemade, of which stand out the dulce de leche, pulque bread, quince cajeta, and suaderos, which are jelly rolls stuffed with pine nuts and almonds. To accompany these delicacies, there is nothing like a glass of good wine produced in the region.

Services in Saltillo

Saltillo has many different types of lodging, as well as restaurants, museums, banks, exchange houses, hospitals, and everything necessary to make the visitor's stay comfortable.