What Animals Live in San Luis Potosi San Luis Potosí Pronunciation: sahn-loo-ees poh-toh-SEE. Origin of state name: The Spaniards originally named the region Valle de San Luis, a name that was soon shortened to San Luis. After discovering big amounts of gold and silver, the Spaniards added the word Potosí (hill), which was a proper name they were applying to rich mining regions. Capital: San Luis Potosí. Entered country: 1824. Coat of Arms: The coat of arms features San Luis Rey, the patron saint of the country, standing on top of San Pedro Hill, which has cave-like openings representing the mines of the land. Blue and yellow are used to represent night and day. Ii silver and 2 golden bars represent the mining activities of the land.