The convents of New Spain required special architecture that met the needs of the nuns who lived in them, as well as those of the faithful who attended the temple. The peculiarity of these buildings lies in the presence of choirs, square-shaped architectural spaces large enough for the nuns to listen to and participate in religious services without being seen by the congregation.

The lower choir represented the threshold for the nuns' lives, as they received the novice habit there. It was also the threshold to their death, as it was home to the crypt and ossuary. Access was through the interior of the main cloister and via the spiral staircase leading to the upper choir. Nuns would go to the lower choir to attend mass after the first hour of the day.