For visitors to Tlayacapan, a visit to the former monastery of Saint John the Baptist is not just mandatory, but practically inevitable. The grounds of the complex, still surrounded by their stone wall, dominate much of the center of the town. Its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is undisputed, but you need to look beyond the walls to see why.
Although many, probably most, of the town plazas in Mexico are former church atriums, those with the walls intact are an exception. Here you can see why.
Tlayacapan’s walls today surround something of a city park. It’s still very much an atrium, and the sheer austerity of the soaring church façade only reinforces the wall’s defensive, even invasive posture. The façade itself stands 30 meters tall.
The Augustinians began work on the temple and surrounding monastery in the 16th century. The design is said to be that of Master Builder, Friar Jorge de Avila. He likely took over work already begun in 1554.
Inside the church, most visitors will poke around at the few examples of religious art. Most notably are several depicting the life of the Virgin Mary. Portraits of Santa Ana and San Joaquín (her parents), and the Assumption, the Virgin of Solitude and a Baroque Virgin of Guadalupe are most prominent. Several more reflect the life of Saint Augustine. The altar dates from the late 19th century.
Most guests though will quickly head to the museum. Housed in the former cloisters, it holds numerous unique and famous murals from the 17th century. The mummified remains of four children discovered during construction in 1982 provide another, if more macabre, focus to the collection.
Visitors can also see the complicated and giant rainwater collection system. This is a secular aside from several other smaller side chapels which can also be visited. The parish itself still maintains an outdoor chapel on the grounds. Surrounding Tlayacapan is home to some 18 other historic chapels that can also be visited.
The complex is but one of the Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl. Together with 14 other sites, the group were declared part of a single, big UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
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