Mexico offers a rich bounty of gems for any travelers who venture off the beaten tourist path, ignoring the advice of mainstream travel guidebooks. Take Saltillo. Before heading over there for a couple days, I consulted my Frommer's Mexico guidebook. Out of more than 760 pages, they devoted less than a paragraph to this northern state capital, traditional colonial city, and industrially modern bustling small city of about half a million people. The paragraph recommended nothing, saying just "Saltillo is the mile-high capital of the state of Coahuila, famous for the manufacture of multicolored striped serapes. But for the most part is has ceased to be of touristic interest."

It has, has it?

Not in my eyes, and probably not in the view of anyone else who bothers to scratch beneath the surface of northern Mexico's highways and byways.

What I found in Saltillo was a pleasant town with lots of colonial charm -- including one of the most beautiful colonial era cathedrals in the north, some fascinating museums with more local color than a striped serape, and plenty of good local cuisine. And all of it at prices that won't bust your budget!

SEEING THE SITES...
I call myself the "World's Cheapeast Traveller" and places like Saltillo are near and dear to my heart because I can see lots of cool things without it costing me an arm and a leg (heck, not even a finger and toe!) Just about everything you'd want to see is cheap or free (my favorite word), and you can get anywhere and everywhere in town for $2 all day on the TranVia trolley.

Saltillo is an easy place to be cheap...

Cathedral of Saltillo
For a small city, Saltillo sure does have a big cathedral. In fact, it pretty much dominates the downtown landscape.

The cathedral is one of Northern Mexico's best examples of the fabulously ornate churrigueresque architectural style that was favored in the spanish colonial era. Construction started in 1745, but it would be almost 5 decades before the church was completed.

Saltillo's cathedral is, like many of the world's great churches, a place that is spiritual and functional, but also one of the region's richest treasure troves of cultural and artistic expression. Every facet, every surface, every nook and cranny of this enormous cathedral is filled with beauty and color and gold and utter extravagance. The huge doors are almost 6 inches thick and they were all hand-carved in the 17th century from a mileau of different woods, including cedar and mahogany. The carvings depict Saints Peter and Paul. The archdiocese paid $45 for these doors some 250 years ago.

The side alcoves are exquisite with ceiling frescoes in one chapel celebrating the Holy Family while the other chapel commemorates the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Both altars are built with engraved silver front panels easily worth a good sized fortune. The dome over the main altar features an elaborate choir of angels surrounded by martyrs and the great saints. The paintings along the cathedral's walls were done by Jose de Alcibar -- a famous painter of the viceregal period.

The cathedral's Capilla del Santo Cristo could be easily mistaken for an insignificant small sanctuary, but that's where one of the cathedral's treasures hangs -- the heavy wood cross was carved in Spain in the 15th century and brought to Saltillo in 1608. It is one of the oldest Christian icons in the Americas.

Some of the pieces from this cathedral (including the silver "St. Joseph's altar") were part of an art exhibition a few years ago titled "Mexico: Thirty Centuries of Splendor". The exhibition toured major museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Prado in Madrid. Everything is back home now, where it belongs...

While I was strolling around the cathedral, taking photos of the magnificent building, a stranger came up to me and introduced himself as Salvador Medina. Senor Medina asked if I would like to go up into the bell towers and walk on the roof of the cathedral. I jumped at the chance, and was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour that I never imagined being able to see!

We walked up a narrow spiral staircase of the tallest bell tower. The lowest chamber of the bell tower is at roof level, and you can walk out onto the roof and get a fabulous view of the hustle and bustle taking place in the Plaza de Armas across the street. The upper chambers of the tower offer what is unquestionably the best panorama of Saltillo available anywhere, since the bell tower is the highest structure in the city. (I need to get my own web server so I can post pictures for you guys!)

If you are ever in Saltillo, take my advice on this one point: go to the cathedral and find Salvador Medina (he told me that he's always in the cathedral or on the benches facing the cathedral in the Plaza de Armas across the way -- ask locals for "Salvador" and they can probably point him out). He speaks both english and spanish, and he knows the stories behind the place better than any guidebook you might have. If you really want to experience and understand the place, talk to Salvador!

State Capitol
If you've never been inside a Mexican state capitol, it's a real treat. While we gringos seem to have some fixation with having domes in our state capitols, the Mexicans are equally predictable with their beautiful open courtyards. The Coahuila state capitol is smaller than those of some other states, but it too has its courtyard. You can walk in and stroll around the quiet and dignified, yet natural setting. Go up the stairs and stroll around the balcony, admiring the murals that portray Coahuila history. The murals were painted by Salvador Tarazona.

Texas Trivia Tidbit #23: Texas was once a part of the state of Coahuila.

Not only is the capitol a beautiful building of great local importance, it's also a great photo op -- and you can check it out for FREE (yep, my favorite word again!)

Alameda Zaragoza
If you just want to chill out for a while under the shade of a big old oak tree (or a towering old cedar), then stroll down Guadalupe Victoria to the Parque Alameda Zaragoza -- a lushly landscaped oasis in downtown. Walk along the pathways and check out the shrubs sculptured into birds or animals, or head over to the playground area and let the kids loose for a while. I love walking through this park on a sunny Sunday afternoon when all the young lovers are strolling hand-in-hand.

Saltillo has several parks and town squares (plazas), but the largest and nicest is Parque Alameda Zaragoza, a short 3 block walk from the cathedral or state capitol.

Museum of the Desert
More than just a celebration of Mexico's more arid lands (the desert area here is part of the huge Chihuahua desert, which covers thousands of square miles of area, including 10 states in Mexico and parts of 2 in the U.S. -- Texas and New Mexico), this museum is a wide-ranging natural history museum that's sure to spark the imaginiation of kids and adults alike. The big center atrium features an enormous Tyrannosorus Rex ("T-Rex" to anyone who's seen Jurrasic Park.) This skeleton was found in southern Coahuila, not far from Saltillo.

This is a big museum with several galleries (called "pavilions") focusing on different aspects of the desert. I loved seeing all the different kinds of wildlife that make their home in the desert, including jaguars and about a gazillion kinds of snakes and lizards. Other galleries show fossils found in the desert while others show how mineral riches under the surface make attractive places for a certain breed of entrepreneur.

I thought this was a wonderful museum that focuses on a part of the ecosystem that a lot of us (well, at least me) think of as lifeless and boring. The desert actually has quite a large range of plant and animal life, plus enormous riches and clues to earth's past lying just under that sandy surface. It's a fascinating place!

Museum of Birds
I expected a small museum, but I found a large, modern, utterly fascinating glimpse of the natural world of Mexico's avian population. The museum includes more than 2,000 specimens, stuffed and mounted and behind glass. If you thought that Mexico was not an eco tourism destination, this museum could change your perspective: even with 2,000 birds on display, the museum is missing almost 25 percent of the species known to thrive in the Republic. The stuffed specimens are the stars of this museum, but there are also some spectacular paintings and photos of our feathered friends. While the admission isn't free, it is cheap (my second favorite word!) at about $1. Discounts are available for families of up to seven people.

Vito Alessio Cultural Center
This smaller museum is the new kid on the block in Saltillo's downtown area, located about a block from the Cathedral at the corner of Hidalgo and Aldama. Along the archways of the expansive courtyard are a series of murals depicting scenes from Mexico's colored history, from the pre-columbian era of Aztec and Mayan domination through today's age of modern industry. The murals are brilliantly colored by local artist Helena Huerta and they present history with a decided slant towards local events, including the founding of Saltillo in 1577.

The building includes a gallery documenting Saltillo's history, especially the life of Vito Alessio Robles -- a general in the Mexican revolution who was also governor of the state of Coahuila.

And best of all for cheap travellers like me, admission is free (there's that word again!)

FOOD AND DRINK: El Mejor Sabor del Centro...
Saltillo is one of those towns with far more good restaurants than you'd expect, given its relatively small population base.

El Tapanco
El Tapanco (Calle Allende Sur 225) is my favorite restaurant in Saltillo. It is a restaurant that does everything right. The setting is comfortably traditional, upscale, and romantic. The service is impeccable. And most importantly, the food is nothing short of sublime!

You know that you're in for a treat from the moment you walk through the unassuming doorway to enter into an open, traditional courtyard with a bubbling water fountain and rustic tables tucked into open alcoves. The setting is old-fashioned -- you feel like you're the privileged guest in a wealthy 18th century hacienda (but for the minor details of electric lights and ice cold beer and margaritas!)

The food is the real star of El Tapanco. The kitchen offers a wide range of modern Mexican cuisine, including some regional favorites. If I can make just one recommendation it would be to try the tortilla soup -- it is, hands down, the very, very best tortilla soup I have ever tasted with a thick beefy tasting broth and plenty of manchego cheese to top it off!

Around Town...
If you're in the mood for Italian food, Terraza Romana is a pretty good choice. Located on Purcell, directly across the street from the Alameda Zaragoza, this pleasant second story restaurant is a peaceful oasis offering servicable, if somewhat uninspired fare. The wood-fired pizza is a good bet, but some of the pasta sauces tend towards the bland side. I've been told that Trattoria Da Flavio does italian food even better, but I haven't yet gotten a chance to try it out.

Seafood lovers would be hard-pressed to do better than Las Escolleras. I understand that there are several locations around Saltillo, though the one I ate at was on Blvd. Venustiano Carranza on the northeast side of town. The decor is plain and the dining room more functional than inviting, but they have an incredible diable sauce that brought tears to my eyes -- as much from joy as from the enormous spiciness. Couple that sauce with a perfectly cooked fish fillet, or a healthy portion of fresh shrimp, and you have some seriously good eating!

Of course there's no point in traveling if you don't take some time out to sample the best regional treats that a place has to offer. In Saltillo, that means looking for authentic norteno cooking, and most importantly -- keeping your eyes peeled for pulque and the local specialty, pan de pulque!

A good place to have lunch downtown is El Meson Principal, and I like it because of its focus on northern Mexican style cooking. You can tell that this is an authentic northern restaurant because you can see the young kid goats splayed out on spits as they slow roast over a bed of hot coals. Cabrito is what you're looking at, and it has a flavor that's similar to lamb, though the meat is sometimes a bit greasy or tough to the uninitiated -- it's not unlike sampling a roast goose for the first time, but once you get used to it, it's a true delicacy! I usually order the pierna (the leg) when I'm eating cabrito, mostly because when I order a rib section, it sometimes comes with vital organs still attached, and that's a little closer to biology class than I usually want to be while I'm dining.

Of pulque and pan de pulque:
I'm a firm believer in the adage that to eat well, you must eat like the locals. Do the lobsters in Boston, not in Kansas City, where of course you should do the steaks and not expect the world of pork barbecue, which is not worth eating outside North Carolina. It's gastronomic geography 101 -- not rocket science.

Same thing in Mexico. Order the birria in Guadalajara and chase it with some tequila, but expect the world of moles in Puebla and not in Monterrey, where of course you must eat the cabrito. Well, in Saltillo, the local taste tempter is a somewhat coarse, but very hearty, bread called "pan de pulque".

Pulque is a drink made from the fermented juice of maguey or agave. (Distill pulque and you'll have a form of mezcal -- close cousin of tequila). Pulque in the glass looks kind of like 1% milk, but it sure doesn't taste like it! Pulque is sour with a very tart flavor despite having an alcohol level that's not much stronger than beer.

Saltillo is famous for pan de pulque, and though you won't find it in upscale downtown restaurants, it is not at all hard to find. There are several small stands and restaurants selling it along the highway as you approach Saltillo from the north. There are several places to buy it in the town of Ramos Arizpe, and you don't even need to pull of the road into the town itself. We once snagged several bags of it from a stand located at the Pemex station about 100 yards north of the big Daimler Chrysler plant. (You might miss the Pemex, but you can't miss the Chrysler plant!)

If you come into Saltillo on a bus, the main station is on the south side of the city. Cross the street directly in front of the station and you'll see a row of small store front businesses lining the street -- several of these stores sell pan de pulque, so go ahead and indulge in a little adventure of the palate -- and best of all, you can experience this unique specialty for only about a dollar...

LODGING: The Saltillo Hotel Scene...
There are quite a few new, chain hotels springing up around Saltillo, and of course you have a wide variety of older, centrally located hotels from which to choose. There is also one true resort hotel, but it's located in the outlying countryside at least 20 minutes from downtown (a do-able option only if you have a car).

I've stayed in a few different hotels, including the Holiday Inn (Eurotel) which I stayed in on my most recent trip to Saltillo.

The Holiday Inn is probably the most popular of Saltillo's chain hotels and is comparable to the Camino Real in terms of amenities, although I've heard that the Camino Real has slipped a bit in terms of quality over the last couple years. If that's true, then the Holiday Inn is probably the best bet in Saltillo for a businessman or really any American traveler who expects a certain level of comfort and a predictable, if perhaps innocuous, type of facility.

A lot of the new chain hotels, like the Hampton Inn and Fiesta Inn, are located on the Carretera Monterrey-Saltillo, though further out than the Holiday Inn. (Probably too far out for the Tranvia trolley, and not really convenient unless you have a car).

For a true resort type experience, head out to Bosques de Monterreal. The place is not exactly close to the city, but it is rustic, it is upscale, and it offers more outdoor activities than any other place in the area (including tennis, horseback riding, swimming, hiking, and -- get this -- alpine skiing all year round on a kind of slick nylon surface!).

Try the Plaza Urdinola if your tastes favor a nicely kept, traditional, downtown small hotel. There are probably other nice, clean hotels in the area -- I just don't have any experience with them. Maybe I can update this with more info some day...

LOGISTICS: Getting There and Getting Around...
Getting to Saltillo...
By car: Saltillo is located about 200 miles south of the U.S./Mexico border (about 3 hours from either Laredo or Eagle Pass Texas, or 1 hour from Monterrey N.L.).

By bus: Saltillo is served by several major Mexican bus lines (including Omnibus de Mexico, Transportes del Norte, Turistar, and Futura) and some lines offer direct service from various cities in Texas (including Autobuses Americanos). From Monterrey, the price is 48 pesos for a first-class ticket (like Omnibus de Mexico or Futura) or 68 pesos for ejecutivo class (Turistar).

By plane: Most people going to Saltillo will probably fly into Monterrey, however, commuter flights are available directly to Saltillo's small regional airport. Continental Express offers nonstop service using Embraer commuter jets from Houston and Mexicana's affiliate airline, Aeromar, flies there using ATR turboprops via Monterrey (and maybe Mexico City).

Getting Around Saltillo...
Trolley: The best way for a tourist to bum around town is to use the TranVia trolley system. For 20 pesos ($2) you can get on and off 4 times in a single day. That's enough to see just about everything downtown, plus some of the major museums that aren't particularly easy to get to on foot -- like the Museo del Desierto. When planning your trip, keep in mind that TranVia does not operate on Mondays (when most museums are closed anyway).

More Info
Saltillo has a good tourist info web site: www.descubresaltillo.com

Bottom Line
Don't lightly bypass places like Saltillo. Like many of Mexico's older colonial era towns, there are surprises and riches waiting around every corner. Stop and take a look. If you scratch just a little, you'll find a very nice town to explore for a couple days. It's a place with some interesting history and culture, not to mention affordable prices.

Until next time, I'll see you on the road. As always, I'm the wide-eyed gringo taking the road less travelled, and taking it at lower cost.





Recommended: Yes

Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime