SAN LUIS POTOSI, a central State of Mexico, bounded north by Coahuila, east by Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Vera cruz, south by Hidalgo, Queretaro and Guanajuato, and west by Zacatecas. Area, 24,412 sq. miles. Pop. 579,831 in 1930. The State belongs wholly to the high plateau region, with the exception of a small area in the S.E. angle, where the tableland breaks down into the tropical valley of the Panuco. The surface is comparatively level, with some low mountainous wooded ridges. The mean elevation is about 6,000 ft., ensuring a temperature climate. The rainfall is light and uncertain and the State is poorly provided with rivers. The soil is fertile and in favourable seasons large crops of wheat, Indian corn, beans and cotton are grown on the uplands. In the low tropical valleys, sugar, coffee, tobacco, peppers and fruit are staple products. Stock-raising is an important industry and hides, tallow and wool are exported. Fine cabinet and construction woods are also exported to a limited extent. San Luis Potosi ranks among the leading mining states of Mexico. The Catorce district has some of the richest silver mines in the country. Other well-known silver mining districts
are Person Blanco, Ramos and Guadalcazar. The development of Guadalcazar dates from 162o and its ores yield gold, copper, zinc and bismuth, as well as silver. In the Ramos district, Cocinera lode is said to have had a total yield of over $6o,000,000. Railway facilities are provided by the Mexican Central and Mexican Na tional lines. The capital is San Luis Potosi, and other towns, with populations as of 193o, are : Matehuala (13,795), a mining town 20 m. E. by W. of Catorce, with which it is connected by a branch railway; Catorce (7,00o in 1910 and only 651 in 193o), an important mining town 110 m. N. (direct) of San Luis Potosi (capital) and 8 m. from its railway station on the Mexican Na tional; at an elevation of 8,78o ft., Santa Maria del Rio (2,759), 37 m. S.E. of the capital; Venado (1,756), 45 m. N. of the capital; Rio Verde (7,963), an agricultural centre with a national agricul ture experiment station in its vicinity; Soledad Diez Gutierrez (3,538), near the capital.