Convento de San Juan Bautista

Established in 1533, the church and monastery were built by the Dominican priests and monks following plans designed by the principal architect, Fray Juan de la Cruz. The church is large with flying buttresses supporting the massive granite walls. The facade is cleanly designed and significantly less ostentatious than most churches of Colonial Mexico, ornamentation appears mostly on the single bell tower and the modest cornice. The monastery where the monks lived is a classic square set around a courtyard atrium with two rooms on two levels with arches along the walkways. Inside the church are a number of artistic works from the 16th century and later, some representing the work of European artists and some with hybrid elements of both European and indigenous design motifs. There are frescoes of church martyrs as well as those depicting Jesus and St. John. The church and monastery are a .