The Plaza de los Fundadores (Founders' Plaza) is a few blocks north of the Plaza de Armas and has a quieter, more academic character — the University of San Luis Potosí occupies much of the surrounding buildings. The plaza is anchored by the Compañía church, built by the Jesuits in the 17th century, and the long arcaded Portales colonnade that forms one side of the square.
It is one of the best places to sit and watch the city go by: students from the nearby law and architecture faculties fill the cafes under the arches, street vendors set up in the afternoon, and the plaza is connected to a pedestrianised street that leads toward the cathedral and the city's main commercial zone. The Templo de la Compañía de Jesús, though less ornate than the Carmen, has an atmospheric single-nave interior with gilded side altars.