Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) church & ex-monastery

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Concheros Monument:

Each year on September 12 and 13, a procession of Concheros, featuring hundreds of costumed indigenous dancers from various regions of the country, walk along the Avenida de Los Arcos past the imposing aqueduct to Sangremal Hill and Santa Cruz Plaza where they perform the ritual dance that goes back to its chichimecas origins.



Videos featuring the dancers

More info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concheros

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Photos

Concheros monument
in the courtyard in front of the church, in swapped RGB channels.

CHURCH - exterior
The church and monastery complex is located on Sangremal Hill where the appearance of Saint James is said to have occurred at the founding of the city. The pink stone cross commemorating the event is located here (but I didn’t see it).

The church is on the left. The adjoining ex-monastery is on the right. The famous battle between the Chichimecas Indian residents, led by Conin, & the Spanish colonists was fought on July 25, 1531 on Sangremal Hill.

Main entrance to the church. The complex is located in Plaza de la Cruz on Calle Independencia

INTERIOR
Main altar. The church has been completely restored.

Beautiful dome over the main altar

Main altar closeup

Looking back to the choir loft, in swapped RGB channels.

Side chapel I think.

The pink stone altarpieces are a mix of Baroque and Neoclassical styles.

EX-MONASTERY
View from the interior courtyard, in swapped RGB channels. I had limited access to the monastery. One has to join one of their tours ;o(

Corner of the courtyard
This Franciscan monastery was one of the few monasteries in operation in Mexico. It was also the site of the Colegio de la Propagación de la Fe (College for the Propagation of the Faith) which was established in 1683, the first missionary school established in the Americas.

Most of the many missionaries who were trained in Queretaro were educated at this college. Many went north to Texas and California & some to South America. Fray Junipero Serra , builder of the Franciscan missions of the Sierra Gorda and Upper California, was trained here.

in swapped RGB channels. Early during the War of Independence, Miguel Domínguez, Querétaro's mayor & part of the 1810 Conspiracy was imprisoned here. Maximilian, the Austrian archduke who became the ill-fated Emperor of Mexico for 3 short years from 1864-1867, was imprisoned here during the siege Querétaro in 1867. http://www.mexonline.com/history-maximilian.htm

Comments

[Beth]

Fabulous
Spectacular!!

[Fred Perry]

Beautiful coverage!
You really have outdone yourself with this blog, Rainy. The colours are deep and impressive, especially in the shots of the fountains. It's heart-warming to see how Mexico has restored and maintained its cultural treasures, and how you have documented these masterpieces. Many thanks.

[Ben Hs]

I really like the Spanish style courtyard.