Mayor Jim Darling will lead a delegation of McAllen officials to a sister city signing ceremony in Mexico with San Luis Potosi, Mexico on Thursday.

The pact, with San Luis Potosi Mayor Mario Garcia Valdez, will formalize a sister city relationship between both cites. The McAllen Chamber of Commerce has help organized the meeting as it has many others in Mexico.

The sister city agreement will be McAllen’s sixteenth city relationship, but only the second sister city located in the “Bajio” region, an area where the automotive industry brings economic growth and jobs generation.

“We’re excited about fostering good relations with San Luis Potosi because it is a progressive community, rich in culture and history, and a beautiful destination city for adventure tourism in central Mexico,” said McAllen Mayor Jim Darling. “We currently have flights that flies direct from McAllen to San Luis Potosi on Aeromar that’s inexpensive, quick and efficient for the business traveler.”

San Luis Potosi is the capital of the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi. The city has an estimated population of 735,886 to 1,021,688 in its metropolitan area.

The city is named after Louis IX of France, who is the city’s patron saint. Potosi was added in reference to the fabulously rich mines of Potosi, Bolivia, discovered some forty years before the city was founded, as the exploitation of silver and gold mines in Cerro de San Pedro near San Luis was the main reason for the founding of the city in 1592.

“Besides its industry based economy, it’s the proximity to other large Mexican cities and tourist destinations that make San Luis Potosi a perfect sister city choice for McAllen,” said Mayor Darling.

Both cities expect to foster sister city relationships in tourism, commerce, industry, investments, education and culture.  

Sister cities to McAllen from Mexico:  Reynosa, Tamaulipas; Victoria, Tamaulipas; Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guerrero; Taxco, Guerrero; Cadereyta de Jimenez, Nuevo Leon; Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon; Garcia, Nuevo Leon; Acapulco, Guerrero; Tampico, Tamaulipas; Irapuato, Guanajuato; Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas; Guanajuato, Guanajuato; and Chilpancingo, Guerrero