Real de Catorce (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal ðe kaˈtoɾse]), often shortened to Real, is a village in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí and the seat of the municipality of Catorce. It is located 160 miles (260 km) north of the city of San Luis Potosí, and currently has a full-time population of under 1,000 residents. This 'ghost-town' in the high and dry expanses of northern San Luis Potosí state was once a thriving silver mining settlement, has long been a pilgrimage site for both local Catholics and Huichol shamanists, and is now being discovered by international tourists drawn by the desert ambience and reputed spiritual energy.
San Luis Potosí (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsan ˈlwis potoˈsi]), officially Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí (Spanish: Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí, literally: St. Louis Potosi), is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí.
It is located in North-Central Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas to the northeast, Veracruz to the east, Hidalgo, Querétaro, and Guanajuato to the south and Zacatecas to the northwest.
In addition to the capital city, the state's largest cities include Ciudad Valles, Matehuala, and Rioverde.