Ex-monastery of Santiago Apostol

About

Work on the Ex-monastery of Santiago Apostol was begun by four Dominican monks in the 1550s. The order labored to complete their grand vision for a century, but had to give up in 1650 due to construction costs and the loss of local workers. Despite never having actually been completed, the site has been used as a convent, monastery, school, government office, prison, and cultural centerpiece over the centuries. Step into the roofless basilica to see murals that mix Roman Catholic, Mixtec, and Zapotec iconology. Add that with a walk through the well-preserved cloister for examples of Gothic, Moorish, Renaissance and Plateresque architecture. And the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia have offices throughout the complex, so you can get a peek at active archaeological work from around the Central Valley.