Xilitla

Xilitla is a small town of 6,500 people (2010) in San Luis Potosí whose main claim to fame is the somewhat bizarre artwork that British artist Edward James left and created here. It is also known for its mountainous landscapes and its springs.

Understand

Xilitla

Las Pozas

While Xilitla (pronounced with a leading Spanish j sound) has been mentioned in 16th century Spanish documents and bears an indigenous name roughly meaning "place of snails", it would likely be just another delightful yet forgettable mountain town in the interior of Mexico if not for one eccentric wealthy British artist, who got inspired by the local environment to put his surrealist art into practice. He was initially drawn here to build an orchid garden, but a particularly fierce winter killed 15,000 plants, convinced him to instead build something more permanent: a bizarre mixture of sculptures and garden which manages at the same time to integrate itself into the semi-artificial nature and be a parody on modern architecture. Few places outside the Washington D.C.metro have ever made "naked concrete" so interesting to look at.

The economy is primarily agricultural with the main crops being coffee and citrus. The lack of industrialization has helped preserve the Nahuatl and Teenek indigenous cultures and their traditional ways of life.

Get in

By car

The old carretera linking Mexico city with the US border passes through town and while its long distance travel function has been largely overtaken by newer autopistas it still serves as an important freight and local corridor. Beware of omnipresent topes, curvy mountainous roads and reckless overtaking maneuvers. Some stretches of the road are affected by various kinds of crime, but you should be fine driving during daylight hours and not stopping in the most dangerous parts.

By bus

There are daily direct buses to Mexico city and other major cities, but more frequent connections open up if you're willing to change into a colectivo minivan at "La Y Griega", a major T junction, literally named "the Y".

From Ciudad de Valles goes Frontera for about M$118 (Jan 2022). You can also check Grupo Vencedor.

• 1 Terminal de Autobuses, Av. Lopez de Mateos. Bus companies have their own terminals in Xilitla, but fortunately for travelers, they cluster in one place along Av. Lopez de Mateos (MEX-120). Look for the signs for Vencedor or Primera Plus. 

See

Castillo de Edward James

• 1 Edward James' sculpture garden (Las Pozas), ☏ +52 4891238548. W-M 09:00-18:00. Without a doubt the most remarkable thing to see here. A mixture of garden and bizarre sculptures with even more absurd names. Sadly some sculptures haven't aged well, but they try their best to keep this piece of art intact for future visitors. A limited number of tickets is available each day through the website or directly at the Museo Leonora Carrington box office (11:00-14:00) in Xilitla, or at the kiosk in the central square (W-Su 08:00-10:30), where you can purchase your access to enter that same day. It is best to book in advance. Adult M$125, child (6-12) or senior (65+) M$60. (updated Jul 2021)

• 2 Museo Leonora Carrington, Corregidora 103. W-Su 11:00-15:00. A museum with sculptures of Leonora Carrington, a prominent 20th century artist of the Surrealist movement. (updated Jun 2024)

Templo de San Agustín

• 3 Ex Convento San Agustin (Church of Saint Augustine), Hidalgo 201. - Oldest monument in Xilitla, the former convent was built by Augustine missionaries between 1533-1537. Built in the Plateresque style, the church features a long, low arched nave. The missionaries would have occupied rooms around a small central courtyard surrounded by arched walkways. 

• There are many caves and caverns in Xilitla, as well as many natural springs. Parakeet Cave, a short walk from the town, is home to a large number of green parrots which leave and re-enter the cave at dawn and dusk every day.

Do

• A coffee fair is held in August.
• The feast of San Agustín: from August 27 to September 2. On August 28 it is celebrated with dances of Soledad, Wands and Rebozo and on November 15 the festivities of that month begin.

Eat

A local food specialty is the zacahuil (also spelled sacahuil), a giant tamale (3 to 4 feet long) wrapped in banana leaves and filled with pork on one side and chicken on the other. Zacahuil is a traditional Huastec food and is seldom found outside the Huasteca region.

Budget

• 1 Restaurante la Huastequita, Miguel Álvarez Acosta 101E. (updated Aug 2022)
• 2 Destino Ligero, Adolfo López Mateos 304. (updated Aug 2022)
• 3 La Cabañita, cocina huasteca, Jalpan De Serra. (updated Aug 2022)

Mid-range

• 4 Ambar El Lugar De Dona, 79900 s l p, Miguel Hidalgo 209. (updated Aug 2022)
• 5 Querreque, Jdn. Hidalgo 201. (updated Aug 2022)
• 6 Reastaurante Cayo's, Miguel Álvarez Acosta 117. (updated Aug 2022)
• 7 Taz Pizza, Cuauhtémoc 113. (updated Aug 2022)
• 8 Plutarcos Restaurante, Melchor Ocampo 103. (updated Aug 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Sukha Hostel Xilitla. It has dorms for around M$180 (Jan 2022) with breakfast included. 

• 2 Casa Verde Hostal. Rooms from $250 (Feb 2022), also camping. Communal kitchen, friendly staff, clean rooms, located halfway between town and Las Pozas. Locally owned and staffed. 
• 3 Camino Surreal, Melchor Ocampo 311, ☏ +52 489 122 4014. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Small hotel with spacious rooms that are worn and lack amenities for comfort. Good on-site restaurant. M$1400. (updated Mar 2024)
• 4 Hotel Dolores, Mariano Matamoros 211, Bellavista, ☏ +52 489 365 0178. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Small hotel with about 40 rooms. Clean, spacious rooms have cable TV and air conditioning. Swimming pool available. M$800. (updated Mar 2024)

Go next

• Tamazunchale
• Aquismón
• Ciudad Valles
• San Luis Potosi