• Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

    Embarcadero colonial
    INAH
  • Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

    Centro Comunnitario Culhuacán
    Centro Comunnitario Culhuacán 2021
  • Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

    Centro Comunitario Culhuacán
    INAH
  • Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

    Claustro alto
    INAH
  • Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

    Ex Convento de Culhuacán
    INAH
  • Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

    Centro Comunnitario Culhuacán
    Centro Comunnitario Culhuacán
  • Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

    Centro Comunnitario Culhuacán
    Centro Comunnitario Culhuacán
  • Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

    Patio central
    INAH
  • Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

    Patio central
    INAH

Visit us

Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

Opening hours
Tuesday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00 h
Fee
Adress

Morelos No. 10, Colonia Culhuacán,
Iztapalapa Borough, ZIP Code 09800,
Mexico City, Mexico.

Access

Nearest metro station: Atlalilco

Services
Accessibility
Library
Parking
Guided tours
Important
  • No smoking
  • No entry with food
  • Pets not allowed
  • No flash

Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

Logo Centro Comunitario Culhuacán
Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

This sixteenth-century Augustinian monastery built in the Renaissance style boasts remarkable frescos, a collection of pre-Hispanic, viceregal, religious and everyday objects, as well as the remains of Latin America’s first paper mill.


Set in the heart of the Iztapalapa district, this Renaissance-style monastery is a veritable architectural jewel. The magnificent, two-story construction was built out of volcanic rock in 1562 as a the center for the Augustinian friars to carry out their evangelical work. It occupied a prime location on the western slopes of the Cerro de la Estrella (“Huizachtepetl” or “hill of the star”) and on the north shore of the Chalco-Xochimilco lake, on the site of Culhuacan, a pre-Hispanic settlement inhabited, according to archeological studies, between 600 and 800 AD.

The historic monument covers a total area of 2.6 acres and has corridors with frescos that reflect the skill of Culhuacan’s “tlacuilos” or painters; the images are largely well preserved and show scenes from the life of Christ, figures from the Augustinian and other religious orders, as well as episodes from the lives of some saints. The building continued to be used as a monastery until 1756, when the Spanish crown divested power from the religious orders. It was subsequently occupied as a parish church, as barracks for Emiliano Zapata’s troops, and as a local administrative center, among other uses. Later abandoned, it became seriously dilapidated until, in 1944, it was declared a historic monument and the National Institute of History and Anthropology (INAH) set about restoring it. A decision was taken in 1985 to turn it into a museum, with a collection including original objects from the pre-Hispanic and colonial periods.

The first four permanent exhibition galleries were opened to the public a decade later and focused on the former lake region of Culhuacan, its Toltec heritage, Mexica rule, the building’s importance as a religious center, and the early stages of the viceregal period.

Two cells on the upper cloisters (north corridor) were refurbished in 2003 in order to recreate how they looked when occupied by the Augustinians and to install a photographic exhibit documenting the different stages of the building’s restoration. The remains of Latin America’s first paper mill are located a short walk from the monument; this factory was built in order to remedy the paper shortages that delayed the printing of religious publications for the evangelization of the indigenous population.


 

  • Dirección
    María del Carmen Mendoza Aburto
    carmen_mendoza@inah.gob.mx
    +52 (55) 4166 07 70, ext. 4135
    Administración
    Juana Inés de la Fuente Godínez
    juana_delafuente@inah.gob.mx
    +52 (55) 4166 0770 ext. 413506
    Comunicación Educativa
    Adriana Castor Álvarez
    adriana_castor@inah.gob.mx
    +52 (55) 4166 07 80 ext. 41350
    Vigilancia
    +52 (55) 4166 07 80 ext. 41351
Sala Señorío de Culhuacán y el medio lacustre

The Lordship of Culhuacán and the Lacustrine Environment

This section illustrates the origins of the Culhua lordship (circa 700 CE), highlighting its geographic location within the Valley of Mexico and its sacred site, the Hill of the Star (Huizachtépetl), according to Culhua tradition.

Sala Hacia el dominio mexica

Toward Mexica Domination

This gallery explores the continued ceremonial importance of Culhuacán, which maintained its status as a major ritual center despite being a tributary town under the rule of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. It was regarded as a community of great influence among the city-states of the lake region.

Sala Permanencia de Culhuacán como centro religioso

Culhuacán's Enduring Role as a Religious Center

This gallery highlights Culhuacán’s continued significance as a ceremonial center. Among the traditions that persisted during this period was the celebration of the "New Fire" ritual.

Sala Periodo colonial

Colonial Period

Located in what was originally the friars’ private chapel, this gallery focuses on the evangelization activities of the colonial period. On display are artifacts recovered from the church that once formed part of the monastic complex, built between 1560 and 1570.

Sala Celda agustina

Augustinian Cell

A recreation of the friars’ private living quarters.

Sala Exposición fotográfica

Photographic Exhibition

This exhibition presents a visual record of the building’s restoration, tracing its transformation from abandonment in the late 18th century to its present-day preservation.

Claustro alto

Upper Cloister

This area contains the twelve cells where the friars once slept.

Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

Main Entrance

Here, visitors can admire Renaissance-era friezes adorned with symbolic motifs from that period.

Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

Church

The former Convent of San Juan Evangelista preserves remnants of its original 16th-century church. Confessionals used during the early evangelization period remain visible and connect to the interior of the cloister.

Central Courtyard

Centro Comunitario Culhuacán

Vestibule

This space features a mural depicting Saint Augustine of Hippo, founder of the Augustinian order, shown in his characteristic robes.

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Walls Concealing the Secrets of Two Periods

Hvergelmir Adriana Castor Álvarez

Contacto

difusion.ccc@inah.gob.mx
+52 (55) 41 66 07 80 al 84
CulhuacanMuseo

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