Saltillo was founded in 1577 by Spanish explorer Alberto del Canto, making it the oldest post-conquest European settlement in northeastern Mexico. However, the fledgling settlement faced relentless resistance from nomadic Chichimeca tribes. Recognizing the vulnerability of the outpost, Spanish viceroy Luis de Velasco II orchestrated a historic colonization strategy in 1591: he negotiated the peaceful relocation of approximately 400 Christianized Tlaxcalan indigenous families from central Mexico to settle directly adjacent to the Spanish town.
The Tlaxcalans established their own self-governing community, named San Esteban de la Nueva Tlaxcala, separated from the Spanish quarter by a natural spring channel. The Tlaxcalans brought sophisticated agricultural techniques, peach and apple orchards, advanced adobe masonry, and above all, their ancestral traditions of backstrap and pedal loom textile weaving. Over the next two centuries, indigenous Tlaxcalan artisans combined their ancient dyeing methods with Spanish sheep wool, creating the tightly woven, brilliantly colored striped blanket known globally as the Saltillo Sarape.
During the colonial era and early 19th century, Saltillo hosted the famous annual trade fair (Feria de Saltillo), where merchants from across New Spain converged to trade livestock, silver, European textiles, and northern desert wares. In 1824, following Mexican independence, Saltillo became the capital of the vast combined state of Coahuila y Tejas (which included the entire territory of modern Texas until the Texas Revolution of 1836). In 1847, the nearby plains witnessed the fierce Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican-American War. Today, Saltillo preserves its proud historical role as the cultural anchor and manufacturing center of Coahuila.
Geologically, the desert plateaus of Coahuila represent one of the planet's premier late Cretaceous paleontological treasure troves. Seventy-two million years ago, this arid expanse formed a lush, subtropical delta bordering the ancient Western Interior Seaway. The unique sedimentation preserved fossilized remains of horned ceratopsians, duck-billed hadrosaurs, and carnivorous theropods in extraordinary detail, providing contemporary paleontologists at the Desert Museum with unprecedented insights into prehistoric biodiversity.
The city's urban layout retains its distinct dual-heritage identity. The historic Spanish quarter around the Plaza de Armas contrasts harmoniously with the indigenous Tlaxcalan quarter of San Esteban, where centuries-old stone chapels, artisan leather workshops, and family bakeries continue traditions handed down over four hundred years. This cultural resilience earned Saltillo its proud northern nickname—La Atenas de la Sierra—honoring its defense of constitutional ideals and cultural arts.
