Description of the attraction
Not far from the city of Oaxaca, there is a small settlement of Cuilapan, whose development peaked in past centuries. Currently, tourists come here solely because of the ruins of the monastery of St. James, which the locals call St. Santiago. This monastery and the temple of the same name next to it are located on a hill right above the village.
It is interesting that the Dominican monastery complex, the construction of which began in 1555, was never completed. Nevertheless, monks lived in it until 1663, who later moved to Oaxaca, leaving a grandiose construction site, partially destroyed by earthquakes. Something like the roof of the basilica was not completed.
Currently, we see a Renaissance temple made up of only walls, flanked by two imposing colonnades. Some of the columns were destroyed by tremors. To the left of the church is a stone pulpit, to which a small staircase leads. The building of the monastery with very thick walls has also survived. Looking at them, one involuntarily recalls that monasteries in the New World also served as fortresses where one could hide from the attack of the Indians. Ancient frescoes have survived near the main portal to the monastery. In 1831, the arrested President of Mexico Vincente Guerrero was kept in the dilapidated monastery of St. James the Apostle. The second floor was occupied by the rooms of the monks. It is surrounded by a terrace, which has now been turned into an observation deck. Climbing it, you can take beautiful pictures of the surroundings.
