The upper floor of this cloister was built between 1750 and 1774. This level originally housed classrooms, the antechapel, the guardian’s cell, and the bell-ringer’s cell. Over 105 years, these spaces underwent various changes in use, with only the bell-ringer’s cell remaining intact. Like the ground floor, the arcades were originally open; the walls that now enclose the arches were likely added when the building was converted into a museum in 1917, possibly to create more wall space for displaying paintings.

The Franciscan order strongly promoted reflection on Christ’s suffering and death. The paintings in this cloister served as tools for the friars and novices to meditate on the Passion, a term derived from the Latin flagrantia, meaning ardor or pain. The series consists of 29 scenes, from Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to His burial. The artist includes the trial of Christ and all 14 Stations of the Cross.

Each canvas features inscriptions, including rhymed verses commenting on the depicted scenes. Some paintings bear the abbreviation A dev. de (“Out of devotion from”) followed by the name of the donor, including clergymen from Durango, San Miguel el Grande (now San Miguel de Allende), and residents of Villa de Guadalupe. These inscriptions were likely added during the 19th century.