Tepotzotlán - Convent Site

... More >

two-storey tower is also decorated with "estípites". The small tower set back to the left belongs to the Casa de Loreto.

Passing through the convent the interior of the church is reached, its broad nave containing seven magnificent altars, predominantly carved in wood and painted in gold, displaying the typical Churrigueresque style. The high altar is in three sections and in its design is similar to the façade of the church. In the middle there is a statue of San Francisco Xavier while higher up in the centre there are especially expressive sculptures of the Immaculate Conception (high up in the middle) and John the Baptist (left-hand niche). The right-hand top part of the altar is dedicated to Luis Gonzaga, the left-hand part to San Estanislao de Kotska. The other altars, dating from between 1733 and 1758, are also remarkable, as are the chapels of San Ignacio de Loyola with sculptures of the order's founder, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe with a painting and frescos of Mexico's patron saint by Miguel Cabrera, Nuestra Señora de la Luz with a fine statue, and Nuestra Señora de Loreto, which contains a copy of the house of the Virgin Mary in Nazareth and a reredos with an early Italian statue.

Adjoining the last-named chapel is an octagonal room, the Camarín, which ranks as one of the finest examples of Mexican High Baroque art. The hand of Indian artists can be detected in the shapes and composition of the retablos and of the ceiling. The figures of the archangels and the black oxidised representations in silver are remarkable. The early ribbed vaulting in the Camarín shows Mudéjar influence. The light entering through the alabaster windows contributes to the magnificent overall impression.

Returning to the nave of the church we see on the right-hand side the chapel of Relicario de San José, which contains a painting of JoséIbarra and an especially fine small reredos.