Saltillo

Saltillo is a beautiful small colonial city in Northern Mexico. It is a traditional city with a colorful history. A city that was an important point on the 19th century Camino Real, yet a city with a diverse modern manufacturing economy. Interior designers know Saltillo for its famous thick, lightly glazed, earthen ceramic floor tiles, and the brightly colored shawls known as sarapes are part of the city's colorful tradition. Today, Saltillo is a government center, a college town, and a manufacturing city with big factories outside the city limits producing chemicals, metals, auto parts, and trucks.

Plane, car, or bus are your basic options.

By plane

• Saltillo International AirportIt is served by a regional carriers to Monterrey and Mexico City. There is one daily flight from the U.S.: a Continental Express flight from Houston, however, convenient flight schedules are available to nearby Monterrey.

By car

Saltillo is one hour west of Monterrey via Mexico Highway 40.

By bus

Many bus lines serve Saltillo, including Omnibus de Mexico, Transportes del Norte, Turistar, Futura (Estrella Blanca) and Coahuilenses (Grupo Senda). Trans-border buses to the U.S. are also available from Saltillo.
From Monterrey (either the central bus station or the airport) there are hourly buses going to Saltillo, run by Coahuilenses. Also, these make two stops inside the city before arriving to the bus terminal. For most hotels, you'll want to drop off at "Hospital del Niño" (first stop), in the northern part of the city, and take a taxi there. In this same spot, across the avenue, you can take a bus back directly to the airport.

Downtown Saltillo is best explored using the TranVia trolley system. For M$20 (pesos), you can get on and off 4 times. TranVia does not operate on Mondays.

• Coahuila State HouseAttractive colonial era state house featuring bright open courtyards and a series of murals depicting Coahuila history, painted by Salvador Tarazona.

• Saltillo Cathedral

  phone: +52 844 414 0230
  address: Nicolás Bravo Norte 125
  Stunning cathedral built in the mid 18th century, spectacular churrigueresque facade, 6-inch thick doors of carved mahogany and cedar featuring St. Paul and St. Peter, stunning silver-plated altar.

• Museum of the Desert

  phone: +52 844 986 9000
  address: Carlos Abedrop Dávila 3745
  Large, modern museum organized as a series of pavilions, each exploring a particular aspect of desert life. The focus is on the enormous Chihuahua desert, and the museum's centerpiece is an enormous T-Rex skeleton, excavated in the nearby desert. Great for kids!

• Museum of Birds of Mexico

  phone: +52 844 414 0167
  address: Miguel Hidalgo Y Costilla Norte 151
  Large, modern museum showcasing more than 2,000 stuffed and mounted birds, representing nearly every species found in Mexico.

• Parque Alameda ZaragozaTranquil city park featuring towering cedars and long walkways through an immaculately landscaped garden. Playgrounds for kids, benches for strolling lovers on a Sunday afternoon.

• Vito Alessio Cultural CenterRelatively small museum, located a block from the cathedral at the corner of Hidalgo and Aldama. Not a lot to see, but admission is free and it is the site of a fascinating series of murals depicting the history of Coahuila, and life of Vito Alessio, a revolution-era general born in the local area.

• Villa BonitaA small gated community with family sized homes, the complex also includes a park.

• Saltillo international churchA Nondenominational Christian church. The pastor and his family are American, from Oklahoma. The messages are preached in English with Spanish translation.

• Saraperos de Saltillo, are the local Mexican League baseball team. Between March and August, catch a game at the new Parque Francisco Madero.

• Galerias Saltillo

  phone: +52 844 485 3600
  address: Blvd. Nazario Ortiz Garza #2345 Col. Tanque de Peña C.P. 25279 Saltillo, Coahuila
  This is the local upscale shopping mall. It features several popular chain stores and also a number of small boutiques. The prices are comparable to the United States (no good deals here), but the products are interesting. Many things are made in Mexico. There is good access to ATMs here. Parking costs M$5 for two hours.

Some unique regional dishes that are specialties of Saltillo include:

• Pan de pulque - a delightfully sweet airy bread that owes its texture to the use of fermented agave juice in its batter. Widely available throughout the city, you can also grab a loaf to go from the shops across the street from the bus station.
• Los pioneros - The best place to go for tacos.

Budget

Mid-range

• Bahía Barcelona, Blvd. Los Fundadores Km. 17 Arteaga, 844 483 9000. Spanish restaurant.
• El Mesón Principal, Blvd Venustiano Carranza y Ave. Egipto, 844 415 0015. Traditional Northern Mexico cooking, as the racks of kid goat slow-roasting over hot coals prove beyond any doubt.
• Hong Kong Restaurant, Blvd. Venustiano Carranza No. 3801, 844 415 5313. Chinese.
• Nikkori, Blvd. Venustiano Carranza 2665-7, 844 416 7997. Japanese cuisine.
• Terrazo Romana, Purcell across from Alameda Zaragoza, 844 414 9743. Wood-fired pizza is the star of this casual restaurant.
• Galpao du Brasil, 25204 Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico 844 432 1257. Brazilian meat, waiters walk around with skewers of meat.

• la Casa del Caballo

  phone: +52 844 432-4729
  Boulevard Venustiano Carranza S/N. Col. Saltillo Centro. Saltillo Coah. Expect big slabs of meat.

Splurge

• El Tapanco

  phone: +52 844 414 4339
  address: Calle Allende Sur 225
  Outstanding restaurant with courtyard setting, intimate dining rooms, and traditional Mexican cooking. Their tortilla soup is one of the best in Mexico.

• Boss, Blvd. Venustiano Carranza 2665-7.
• Carlos’n Charlie’s, Blvd. Venustiano Carranza No. 3070, 844 416 4842.
• Faisanes, Carretera Los González between Blvd. Colosio y Moctezuma, 844 439 8008.
• Joy Bar, Blvd. Cuahutémoc, Col. Los Pinos, 844 485 0251. Discotech.
• El Olmo Disco Bar, Blvd. Valdés Sánchez, Col. Jardines del Valle, 844 415 6838.

Budget

Mid-range

• Holiday Inn Eurotel

  phone: +52 844 438 8888
  address: Blvd. Venustiano Carranza 4100
  Pleasant moderate hotel on outskirts of Saltillo. Off-street parking makes it a good bet for motorists. TranVia trolley stop.

Splurge

• Quinta Real Saltillo

  phone: +52 844 438 8450
  address: José Sarmiento 1385
  New luxury hotel about 10 minutes north of downtown.

• Art.net & Cibercafé, Xicotencatl 182 Sur - Centro, 52 8 412 0652, . Around M$25 per hour for internet use. 10AM-3AM.

Like the rest of Northern Mexico, Saltillo is prone to occasional violence. Avoid being out alone at night, a good guideline is to avoid bars, casinos, and bad neighborhoods, and be in by dark. Travel with another person when possible, even in the daytime. Don't drive unless you are accustomed to Mexican driving and roads.

• Bosques de Monterreal — a mountain recreation lodge with horseback riding, golf, tennis, ATV tours, and even downhill alpine skiing on an artificial surface!