If one day you walk through Coahuila , a must see is Saltillo , its capital. This city, with a population of 1,030,200 inhabitants, is the fourteenth most populous city in the country, located in the northwest area of the map. In fact, we have already seen that this geographical area is rich when it comes to casinos .
Warm and friendly, Saltillo / los-5-mejor-casinos-del-norte-de-mexico / boasts one of its iconic buildings: the Casino de Saltillo , which is located right on one of the corners of the Plaza de Armas , while the Government Palace, the Cathedral and the Galleries of the Ministry of Culture are in the other corners.
The Casino de Saltillo was founded in December 1874 by General Carlos Fuero (1844-1892), a Mexican military and politician who fought in the War of the Reform, the Second French Intervention, and the Tuxtepec Revolution. In addition, he also served as governor of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Chihuahua and Durango.
It took the name of Casino Militar , and was renamed Casino de La Unión , then Casino García Carrillo and, eventually, its current name. This casino was based in a house on Calle de Hidalgo, very close to its current headquarters, moving to its current headquarters until 1900. It is still on the same street, but now on the corner with Juárez.
It was built with a quarry base, quickly becoming one of the most emblematic buildings in the city, also due to its Greco-Roman style. It boasts a facade with three arches, which give access to the main door, as well as balconies on the second floor with Ionic columns.
The ground floor has a Queen’s Hall and a Presidents’ Hall, with portraits of many of them on its walls. A large portrait of General Carlos Fuero even stands out. In addition, its basement housed a bowling alley, in addition to its games room, where it was common to gather to enjoy cards like poker or blackjack.
However, not everything was easy for this casino, as it suffered a terrible fire in February 1914, as collateral damage from the Mexican Revolution . During the Victoriano de la Huerta revolt, General Joaquín Mass lost Saltillo, for which he gave a grotesque order.
What was the infamous mandate? He ordered to burn all the buildings they could, but they only managed to set fire to the Saltillo Casino, causing great damage and a reconstruction that took many years to complete.
Despite the disaster, nothing was lost in this complex, to the point that its majestic architecture could be restored and it served as a gathering point for the upper classes of society, who continued to gather to entertain themselves with dances and card games. .
However, the years passed and the casino began to adapt to modern times, aware that a city in constant growth like Saltillo required that such an iconic building also adapt, but without losing its essence.
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