San Luis Potosí City (or, often just "SLP") unsurprisingly serves as the capital of the state of San Luis Potosí. The name of both city and state is half derived from Louis IX, the saint and King of France, and half confusingly derived from the Bolivian city of Potosí (the logic of that being based on the hope that the nearby mines would become as deep and rich as the famously wealthy mines of Potosí, Bolivia).

The sprawling city is home and host to some of the key elements of the Mexican manufacturing industry, and its position at the heart of the triangle formed by Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey have secured its place as an economically vital city with a high standard of living. Historically, the region has been referred to as "El Gran Tunal