Carlos Slim purchases Puebla’s historic Paseo San Francisco mall for mixed-use redevelopment

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has acquired the Paseo San Francisco shopping centre in Puebla’s historic centre for roughly 1.5 billion pesos. Plans call for a mixed‑use complex that will combine commercial, office and residential space, modeled after Slim’s Plaza Carso development in Mexico City.

The purchase includes an investment of a similar amount for the renovation. Since April, tenants have been notified that their leases will not be renewed, prompting the gradual emptying of the mall, the adjacent Coleccionista centre and former foreign‑ministry offices.

The site sits on land with deep cultural roots – a pre‑Hispanic pond called “Los Pescaditos,” later a colonial promenade, a 20th‑century textile factory (La Violeta) and tannery (La Piel del Tigre), and next to the ruins of a 1535 Franciscan convent. The redevelopment aims to preserve the area’s heritage while introducing new business and housing units.