Acolman - Fortified Convent of Acolman

In the 16th c. great importance was generally attached to the design of the entrance façade, reflected here at Acolman by its pure Plateresque style. The finely decorated arch is flanked on either side by twin classical Italian Renaissance pilasters between which are statues of saints under splendidly ornate baldachins. This type of arrangement is almost unknown elsewhere in Mexico. Above the cornice are three niches embellished with sculptures while, higher still, the choir window, similar in style to the portal, displays the richly decorated Augustinian arms on its gable. To the left of the window can be seen the royal arms of Castile and Léon and to the right those of Acolman. A simple bell tower (espadaña) crowns the crenellated façade. A plain arched balcony on the right of the main façade forms an open pulpit the inside of which is ornamented with frescos. Interior The nave of the church measures 57 3 12.5 m (187 3 41 ft). Only one of the altars dates from the period of the convent's foundation, the others having been added in the 17th and 18th centuries. Frescos in grey, black and ochre, painted in about 1600, decorate the end of the nave and also the cloisters. The design of the cloisters suggests the work of more than one architect. Integrated into the church is a typical Mexican "open chapel" (atrium), built to accommodate the vast numbers of baptised Indians. The processional chapels (posas) bore the brunt of the flooding, though one has now been restored.

Outside the present atrium stands a superb carved stone cross with, in the centre, the face of the suffering Christ. The arms and upright bear the symbols of the Stations of the Cross as well as floral ornamentation. Many of the details, such as the skull at the foot of the cross, are executed with remarkable simplicity.

The convent has a small museum.