A viceregal city characterized by the Baroque architecture of its temples, monasteries and large houses, as well as by its fountains and its imposing aqueduct. The layout of its streets reflects its origins as an indigenous town and its transformation into one of the richest and most important cities of the viceroyalty of New Spain.
A viceregal city characterized by the Baroque architecture of its temples, monasteries and large houses, as well as by its fountains and its imposing aqueduct. The layout of its streets reflects its origins as an indigenous town and its transformation into one of the richest and most important cities of the viceroyalty of New Spain.
The capital city of the state of Querétaro is located in the south of the Bajío region. Founded in the 16th century, it was the gateway to the north for the colonization of the mining areas of Zacatecas, Guanajuato and San Luís Potosí, located as it was on the Camino Real Tierra Adentro (Royal Inland Road).
Its name, Santiago de Querétaro, is of mixed origin: the word “Querétaro” comes from the Purépecha “K’erhiretarhu” or “K’erendarhu,” which means “place of large stones or rocks”; while the dedication to Santiago refers to the legend of its foundation, according to which the saint interceded in favor of the Spanish during a battle against the Chichimecas, causing them to surrender to the cross of Christ.
Upon the arrival of the Spanish, the current territory of the city of Querétaro was occupied by a group of Otomi who had been displaced from a site called Jilotepec. The Spaniards and the indigenous people negotiated the establishment of a tributary system and the baptism of several Otomi and Chichimecas, including their leader and founder Conni or Conín, who received the Christian name of Fernando de Tapia.
The city of Querétaro was founded in 1531. At first it was the northernmost settlement in New Spain, which is why it was considered a key point for territorial expansion and for the propagation of the Christian faith through the evangelization work carried out by the religious orders among the indigenous people. It is for this reason that the first building that was built in Querétaro was the monastery of San Francisco.
The urban plan of Querétaro is of mixed origin, and a product of the irregular geography of the valley in which it is located. Its distribution can be divided into two parts: the first, the indigenous street plan that was laid out between 1531 and 1551 by the Otomi chiefs, based on the situation and topography of the Sangremal hill; the second, the Spanish plan surveyed between 1551 and 1600. Juan Sánchez de Alanís is credited with having organized the blocks in the form of a checkerboard. The result of these processes is a mixture of both projects, where rectilinear and winding streets merge in an irregular grid. Today the indigenous layout can still be seen to the east of Juárez Street, and the Spanish to the west.
The city grew in importance from the 16th century onwards due to its location on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the main link between the mining centers in the north and Mexico City, capital of New Spain. During the 17th century there were two major events: the renovation and expansion of the San Francisco monastery in 1640, and the recognition of Querétaro as the “third city of the kingdom” in 1671.
By the beginning of the 18th century, the different neighborhoods of Querétaro were already linked up, creating a single urban area. It was a time of economic prosperity for the city, meaning there were several wealthy people who sponsored significant architectural works such as churches, monasteries and civil buildings. These prominent figures included the Marquis Juan Antonio de Urrutia y Arana, who backed the construction of the aqueduct, known as Los Arcos.
This project reflected the growing city’s need for a reliable water source. The aqueduct was built between 1726 and 1735, and is 1,298 meters long. It transported clean water from the springs of the Cañada to the Santa Cruz monastery, located on the Sangremal hill, and from there descended to the city, where private pipes supplied the most important houses, while public fountains or wells were scattered across the neighborhoods and monasteries to bring water to the rest of the inhabitants. Some of these wells were ornamented with Baroque elements or religious images.
The city’s architecture is dominated by the Baroque style, characterized by the abundant use of ornamentation. The beauty of its churches, monasteries, civil buildings and mansion houses reflects the social status and economic power of its inhabitants in the viceregal era. One of the most popular construction materials was pink and gray cantera stone, which is abundant in the region. One of the distinctive features of Queretaro architecture are the arches of its mansions and cloisters, which are influenced by the Mudéjar style and are composed of a combination of straight lines and curves that create the illusion of movement. Other representative features are the use of Greco-Latin elements in columns and sculptures on the facades, as well as the ornamentation of the architecture with mural paintings on walls, ceilings, arches and vaults.
Querétaro is also famous for its role in starting the struggle for Mexican independence. In 1810 it was the site of the “Conspiracy of Querétaro” where the movement that would lead to independence was forged.
Other historical events that marked the city were the execution of Emperor Maximiliano in the Cerro de las Campanas in 1867; the construction of the railway that connects Querétaro with San Juan del Río and Mexico City, begun in 1878; and the celebration of the Constituent Congress convened by Venustiano Carranza in 1917 and held at the Iturbide Theater, where the Constitution that still governs Mexico today was promulgated.
Among the city’s most deeply rooted traditions are the annual celebration of Holy Week, the festival of the founding of the city held every July 25, and the festival of the Holy Cross that takes place in September and is characterized by conchero dances.
The Zone of Historical Monuments was decreed in 1981 with an area of 4 km2 and is made up of 203 blocks comprising buildings of historical value built between the 16th and 19th centuries, among them religious buildings such as the monasteries of San Francisco de Asís, Santo Domingo de Guzmán and its Rosario Chapel, San Antonio, San Agustín, the Oratory of San Felipe Neri, the convent of Santa Clara and Nuestra Señora del Carmen; the parish churches of Santiago, San Sebastián and Santa Ana; and the churches and chapels of the Congregation of Guadalupe, La Merced and of the Holy Spirit, and the Church of Santa Rosa de Viterbo.
Other historical buildings have been destined for educational, welfare and civil purposes; these include the Hospitals of the Immaculate Conception and of the Charity of Divine Providence, the Josefa Vergara Children’s Hospice, the Rivera Old People’s Home; the Colleges of Propaganda Fide de la Santa Cruz de los Milagros and its Chapel of the Assumption, the Real de San Ignacio de Loyola and San Francisco Javier, the Real de Santa Rosa de Viterbo and the Real de San José de las Carmelitas Descalzas.
Among the private mansion houses, the Casa de Escala, Casa del Conde de la Sierra Gorda, Casa del Marqués and Casa de la Marquesa are of particular note.
Querétaro was declared a Zone of Historical Monuments on March 30, 1981 and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on December 7, 1996. On August 1, 2010 it was also listed as part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro route.
La Coordinación Nacional de Monumentos Históricos del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia ...
