The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro includes five sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List and 55 other sites distributed along 1,400 of the 2,600 km of this long route that starts in northern Mexico and reaches Texas and New Mexico in the United States. Used between the 16th and 19th centuries, this road was used to transport silver extracted from the mines of Zacatecas, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí, as well as mercury imported from Europe. Although its origin and use are linked to mining, the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro also fostered the establishment of social, cultural and religious links between Hispanic and Amerindian cultures.

Real de Catorce was founded during the colonial period, when the interest in mineral deposits brought about the conquest and later urbanization of the area. The bonanza resulting from its mines is laid out in its buildings, roads and plazas.

The grandeur of the city of San Luis Potosí derives from its importance as a center for gold and silver mining and as a frontier post for the route into the north of New Spain, which led to its recognition as a key part of the World Heritage cultural itinerary known as the Royal Inland Road or Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.

n the second half of the 16th century, the territory that currently comprises the state of San Luis Potosí was known as the "Gran Tunal," an extensive uninhabited area located between the present-day states of Querétaro, Saltillo, and Zacatecas.

The place of rain clouds

Important Huastec center (1100-1300 AD). The aesthetic sensibility of this culture is evident from its mural paintings, the delicate work with sea shells and conch, pottery, work with precious metals and sculpture such as “The Huastec Youth.” River trade was important, given its location on the banks of a river.

Located in the Huasteca Potosina region (900-1100 AD), with significant river trade, the site is remarkable for its pyramids, monoliths, stelae, mural paintings, the use of the calendar, circular buildings and amazing stone sculptures, such as the Venus of Tamtoc, which speaks of the important role of women.

The history and culture of the San Luis Potosí region and its predecessors: the Mesoamerican and Huasteca cultures, the city of Tamtoc, the Viceroyalty, Independence, the wars of the nineteenth century, the period of Porfirio Díaz and the Revolution: these are all exhibited in a splendid building dating from 1591 which incorporates the beautiful Aranzazu chapel.