Ciudad del Maíz

Ciudad del Maíz is a town of a little more than 10,000 people in the northern state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The town is one of Mexico's designated Pueblos Mágicos.

Understand
The town was founded in 1617 by Spanish missionary Fray Juan Bautista de Mollinedo. At the time, the local area was populated by indigenous people of the Pame culture who called it the valley of corn.

By bus
From the main bus station in San Luis Potosi, Grupo Vencedor operates 3 Autonaves buses per day to Cardenas. It is a 3-1/2 hour trip that will cost about M$300. From Cardenas, Transportes Frontera operates two buses per day to Ciudad del Maiz. The 30-minute trip will cost M$50. If a Transportes Frontera bus is not leaving Cardenas soon, taxis are available for about M$200.

By car
From San Luis Potosi, it is a 2-1/2 hour drive to Ciudad del Maiz on a mix of highways, mostly modern and in good condition. Drive northeast of San Luis Potosi on federal highway MEX-57 for about 60 km, then take the state toll highway SLP-75D toward Cd. Victoria, then take MEX-80E for about 100 km to Ciudad del Maiz. As always, check road conditions locally and verify directions with a GPS app.

Get around
Ciudad del Maiz is a small city, and while the core downtown Centro area is easily walkable, you will want a taxi for some activities and outlying sites. Your hotel staff can call a radio taxi for you, or you will find a sitio near the Zocalo.

See






Do

 * Cueva Vetada de San Bartolo - cave containing obsidian tools and cave drawings that pre-date the known indigenous cultures of the region (like the Huastec and the Pame)


 * Laguna de Patos


 * Laguna Agua Zarca


 * Rio Rancho Nueva

Eat
Regional dishes include guiso borracho (drunken stew) which is a mix of meat and vegetables cooked in pulque. Enchiladas potosinas are popular even if they aren't prepared quite the same way as they are in other parts of the state. Local cooks use long tortillas stuffed with a mix of red chile, potatoes, carrots, chorizo, tomato, onion, cheese and salsa. Tamales and tacos are often topped with goat cheese.

Go next

 * Huasteca Potosina
 * Ciudad Valles
 * Xilitla