Guadalcazar

San Luis Potosi - Capital

The first view of the town as you drive in is quite charming. An oasis of green countryside and the towers of this historic town's two main churches provide a refreshing and photogenic change. The town was founded in 1613, the newly arrived Viceroy of New Spain was Don Diego Fernández de Córdoba, Marquis of Guadalcázar (Spain), and the first miners here decided that their town should be named in his honor. The success of those pioneer prospectors resulted in a handsome town. The Viceroy had a house here, a building since turned into the Municipal building, the Palacio Municipal.

Two magnificent Franciscan churches were erected. The one nearer the entrance to the town is seventeenth century.
Beyond the tall trees of the plaza, the other, eighteenth century and dedicated to San Pedro, has a glorious gilded altarpiece or retablo with original paintings and figures. Down a side street is the ornate sandstone facade of the former Casa de Moneda, or Mint. Numerous tombs containing skulls with flattened foreheads (cabezas chatas), more normally associated with the Maya, have been found in this area.