Tepotzotlán is a community that preserves its colonial projection and also has one of the most admirable jewels of colonial culture in our country: the former convent of the Jesuit novices, in which highlights the admirable temple dedicated to San Francisco Javier, the same that was recognized as a national monument in the thirties. But Tepotzotlán has much more to offer tourists and travelers. It is a charming town with cobbled streets, typical market and captivating corners for its provincial atmosphere. And while Tepotzotlán is not geographically located far from the voracious capital metropolitan area, it has managed to create their own space, so that those who visit this Magical town, seems transported to a beautiful and far away. . This is a great option to enjoy a weekend full of culture and tranquility.

Tepotzotlán first thing is to know the heart of this town; the former Convent of San Francisco Javier, whose facade was once called "the crown jewel of Churrigueresque art in Mexico" due to its abundant and wonderful decorations. The Franciscans began an evangelistic work in ancient Otomi community Tepotzotlán and to this end, in 1670, the construction of this remarkable building was begun. And although the work was completed in the early eighteenth century, in 1760, although its tower was modernized facade and some altarpieces inside. This Franciscan school was active until the expulsion of the Jesuits, which occurred in 1767. After a period of secular administration, returned to the Jesuits until 1914, when the latter finally left him. When you explore this former convent, enjoy the old cloister, called "Aljibes", the Cloister of the Naranjos and the wonderful cuisines. Also valuable are his altarpieces Churrigueresque, for example, the principal, dedicated to San Francisco Javier. Must contemplate on this site, are some paintings by Miguel Cabrera and overwhelmingly beautiful Chapel of Loreto, mortar and tile. The wealth and scale of all this gives some idea of the power of the Jesuits prior to their ousting; after they left, it became a seminary for the training of regular priests until the late nineteenth century, when the Jesuits were briefly readmitted. The Revolution led to its final abandonment in 1914.

The National Museum of Viceroyalty, the second most important historical museum enclosure Mexico then the National Museum of Anthropology. It has a vast collection of colonial period related to our nation objects. Of how much valuable with what has the National Museum of Viceroyalty, we should mention a series of paintings by Cristobal de Villalpando, which deal with the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola. You can also see works by Juan Correa, Miguel Cabrera and Martin de Vos, among many others. We recommend widely enjoy the pieces in feather art, metal, ceramics, ivory, furniture, weapons and various gardens that are located in this noble cultural center. If the facade is spectacular, it’s still barely preparation for the dazzling interior. Dripping with gold, and profusely carved with a bewilderment of saints and cherubim, it strikes you at first as some mystical cave of treasures. The main body of the church and its chapels house five huge gilded cedarwood retablos, stretching from ceiling to floor, each more gloriously curlicued than the last, their golden richness intensified by the soft yellow light penetrating through the alabaster that covers the windows. Much of the painting on the main altar (dedicated to the church’s patron saint) is attributed to Miguel Cabrera, sometimes considered to be Mexico’s Michelangelo, whose talents are also on display towards the main church door, which is framed by two large oils, one depicting worshippers bathing in the blood from Jesus’ crucifixion wounds. All this is still only the start, for hidden to one side is arguably the greatest achievement of Mexican Baroque, the octagonal Camarín de la Virgen. It’s not a large room, but every inch is elaborately decorated and the hand of the native craftsmen is clearly evident in the exuberant carving – fruit and flowers, shells and abstract patterns crammed in between the angels. There’s a mirror angled to allow visitors to appreciate the detail of the ceiling without straining their necks. The Camarín is reached through the Capilla de la Virgen de Loreto, inside which is a “house” tiled with eighteenth-century azulejos – supposedly a replica of Mary’s house at Nazareth, in which Jesus grew up. Legend claims the original house was miraculously lifted by angels to save it when Muslims invaded the Holy Land, then deposited in the Italian town of Loreto in 1294.

The chapel of the Virgin, just behind the chapel of former College of San Francisco Javier. Do not miss their amazing dome and decoration that shows with ivory figurines and mirrors. Each year, during the Christmas celebrations at the Inn of the Convent at the National Museum of Viceroyalty, they are held famous pastorelas Tepotzotlán, where, in addition to witness a rogue and picturesque sight, you can dine delicious Mexican dishes.

Directly off the central cloister are rooms packed with a treasure of beautiful silver reliquaries and crucifixes, censers, custodia, vestments and even a pair of silver sandals; notice too the painted panel depicting the spiritual conquest of New Spain and showing the relative influence of the Franciscans, Augustinians and Dominicans in the sixteenth century, and above it the diagram of churches liberally dotted among the lakes of the Valley of México. The upper storey around the cloister contains more religious painting than anyone could take in on one visit, including portraits of the Society of Jesus and others of beatific eighteenth- and nineteenth-century nuns. Here too is the Cristo del Árbol, a crucifix carved towards the end of the seventeenth century from a single piece of wood. Stairs descend to the Claustro de los Naranjos, planted with orange and lemon trees and with a fountain in the middle. Around it are displays of wooden religious statuary Balthazar and Caspar, two of the three Magi, are particularly fine. Other rooms contain more colonial miscellany lacquerwork, furniture (notably an inlaid wooden desk) and clothes and some temporary exhibition space. Outside extends the walled Huerta, or garden, some three hectares of lawns, shady trees and floral displays, as well as vegetables and medicinal herbs cultivated as they would have been by the monks. It is not as well tended as it could be, but makes a break from the museum and has a few architectural pieces and large sculptures dotted around, including, at the far end, the original eighteenth-century Salto del Agua that stood at the end of the aqueduct carrying water from Chapultepec into Mexico City (a replica of the fountain stands in the capital now, near Metro Salto del Agua). Returning to the main cloister, you find a mixed bag, with pre-Hispanic statuary leading on to details of Spanish exploration, suits of armour, exquisite marquetry boxes and a sequence of rooms, one filled with ivory statues, another laid out for Spanish nobles to dine, and then the Botica, or pharmacy, with bottles, jars, pestles and mortars, and all the other equipment of an eighteenth-century healer.

Some activities in Tepotzotlán, you can enjoy two very interesting ecotourism attractions: the Ecological Center and Environmental "Arcos Site", where a monumental aqueduct education seventeenth century, four-story, 43 arches, 61 meters of height and 438 meters in length located, for its vast and beautiful wild environment, hiking, mountain biking and contemplation of beautiful scenery; and Xochitla Ecological Park, recommended by its charming gardens and plenty of space for fun of children. There different cultural and recreational activities are also conducted.

Is part of the City of Mexico, through the Ring peripheral, northbound. Then follow the road that links with the Mexico-Queretaro highway, just until the deviation is located at 44 km there is a paved road that leads to the center of Tepotzotlán.

To get to Tepotzotlán from Mexico City, take a bus from Metro Cuatro Caminos or Metro Rosario. The buses are slow, rattling their way round the suburbs for what feels like hours (though the total journey is actually little over an hour) before finally leaving the city. Alternatively, you can take an indirect (“via Refinario”) Tula bus or a second-class service to Querétaro, both of which depart from the Terminal del Norte, and get off at a road junction about 200m before the first motorway tollbooths, Caseta de Tepotzotlán. From here it’s about a fifteen-minute walk west along a minor road to the town of Tepotzotlán, but there’s a good chance of being able to hitch, and plenty of local buses. The same road junction by the tollbooths is also the place to pick up buses on to Tula or back to Mexico City.