Jalpan

The first church to be constructed in Jalpan was the mission established by Junipero Serra in 1751, with construction completed in 1758. Common among the Franciscan missions was the incorporation of indigenous icons and decorative styles, such as the double-headed eagle with a snake. The facade is very elaborate with symbols of the Franciscan order and an image of St. Francis of Assisi. The facade is built of stone and stucco. The interior of the cupola includes scenes of the Virgin of Guadalupe appearing to Juan Diego.

This mission is not really in Jalpan, but by itself in the community of Tancoyol, almost an hour out of town (so take a taxi there and have the driver wait for you while you check out the church). It's one of the five missions that make up the UNESCO World Heritage site, but you kind of wonder why the heck those friars built it so inconveniently far out of town. The mission was established by Friar Juan Ramos de Lora between 1760 and 1767. Besides the signature architectural elements of the Franciscan order, the church icons include images of St. Peter, St. Paul, Saint Joachim, and St. Anne, among others. The indigenous icons and themes represented in this church include images of a jaguar and a man with Olmec features.

Housed in a 16th century Spanish fort, the museum includes exhibits about the history of the region, pre-colombian artifacts from the indigenous peoples of the region, a hall about the missions and their goal of converting indigenous people to the Christian faith with a definite emphasis on Father Junipero Serra, the missions of Sierra Gorda, and the role of the church in taming northern Mexico and the southwest United States as Franciscan missions expanded ever northward, up into Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

A small archaeological site of the Huastec culture. The earliest signs of settlement date from 200 BC, though the settlement reached its peak between 600 and 900 AD. 62 buildings have been identified at the site in three different clusters. Unusual round altar areas and construction of flagstone. The site is about 15 minutes by taxi from the center of Jalpan.