Ixtla

San Miguel de Ixtla sits at 1,884 metres in the far southeast of Guanajuato, almost on the Querétaro line. The name joins the patron archangel to the Nahuatl ixtli, "face", plus the collective suffix -tla, usually rendered as "plain". It was founded on 9 March 1551 by the indigenous chiefs Juan Alexos and Juan Ximenes de la Mota, first as a military colony answerable to San Miguel el Grande; in 1640 it passed to the town of Apaseo. Today a little over a thousand people live here (1,062 in the 2020 census).

What sets Ixtla apart is not the square but the countryside around it: the remains of more than sixty viceregal family chapels, of which, about fifteen were still in good shape and six kept mural painting. Each family built its own for its rites of life and death. Architect Carlos Flores Marini counted 41 in the 1970s; many have been lost since, some stripped for their building stone. The best known is La Pinta, with scenes of the Passion on its walls, restored with the community taking part. Others with their own names are San Isidro, Pajaritos and the chapel of the Señor de Ojo Arco.

The parish church of San Miguel, from the 18th century (1711 is the date mentioned), anchors the village. During Holy Week Ixtla is a stop on Guanajuato's route of faith; Holy Wednesday honours the Señor de Ojo Arco and draws large crowds. The feast of Señor Santiago is traditionally held in the forecourt of La Pinta. Outside those dates the village is quiet, best covered on foot or by bike, asking neighbours where the chapels are, since they are the ones who look after them.