Acolman de Netzahualcoyotl Attractions 
How to get there
From Mexico City by bus from Terminal Indios Verdes; by car on the MEX 85 then, after about 40km/25mi (10km/6mi before Teotihuacán), MEX 85D.
The magnificent San Agustín de Acolman, an archetypal 16th c. New Spanish fortified convent founded by Augustinian monks, is located on a plateau north-east of Mexico City. Although the overall impression is Iberian Gothic, the façade of the convent church provides an outstanding example of the Renaissance-influenced Plateresque style.
History The fortress-like appearance of the Acolman convent (Náhuatl: "encircled by water") testifies to the unsettled times immediately following the Conquest. The foundation stone was laid as early as 1539, but construction of the existing church began only around the middle of the 16th c., the façade dating from 1560. Even when the actual convent building was completed in 1571, parts of the church were still unfinished. By 1580 the convent was occupied by 24 monks, nineteen devoting themselves to their studies while five engaged in converting the Indians. The convent building was badly damaged by floods in the 19th c. and again in the 1930s.
From Mexico City by bus from Terminal Indios Verdes; by car on the MEX 85 then, after about 40km/25mi (10km/6mi before Teotihuacán), MEX 85D.
The magnificent San Agustín de Acolman, an archetypal 16th c. New Spanish fortified convent founded by Augustinian monks, is located on a plateau north-east of Mexico City. Although the overall impression is Iberian Gothic, the façade of the convent church provides an outstanding example of the Renaissance-influenced Plateresque style.
History The fortress-like appearance of the Acolman convent (Náhuatl: "encircled by water") testifies to the unsettled times immediately following the Conquest. The foundation stone was laid as early as 1539, but construction of the existing church began only around the middle of the 16th c., the façade dating from 1560. Even when the actual convent building was completed in 1571, parts of the church were still unfinished. By 1580 the convent was occupied by 24 monks, nineteen devoting themselves to their studies while five engaged in converting the Indians. The convent building was badly damaged by floods in the 19th c. and again in the 1930s.
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Acolman - Fortified Convent of Acolman
The convent façade is a pure Plateresque style, with unique characteristics that are not seen in other parts of Mexico.
Acolman de Netzahualcoyotl Surroundings
Tepexpan, Mexico
In 1949 a human skeleton estimated to be 11,000 years old was found at Tepexpan, 4km/2.5mi south-west of Acolman. Among the exhibits in the small museum is a mammoth dating from the same period, together with stone implements likewise unearthed during excavations near by.
The fascinating ruined city of Teotihuacán is another 10km/6mi from Acolman.
The fascinating ruined city of Teotihuacán is another 10km/6mi from Acolman.
