Landmark 16 km east of Jalpan
The last and most ornate of the five UNESCO-listed Sierra Gorda missions, 20 minutes east of Jalpan.
The mission of Santa María de la Purísima Concepción del Agua de Landa stands in the center of the small town of Landa de Matamoros, east of Jalpan. It is one of the five Franciscan missions of the Sierra Gorda that UNESCO listed as World Heritage in 2003, and many visitors think it is the most beautiful of them all.
The mission was founded in 1744, and the church you see was built between 1761 and 1770, making it the last of the five to be finished. Its name comes from a Chichimeca Jonaz word meaning "marsh." The carved facade is a crowd of figures: Franciscan saints and Saint Dominic in the lower level, Saints Peter and Paul above, and at the top the Archangel Michael, dressed in a feathered headdress and standing over a defeated demon, a symbol of the friars' success in the region. Look closely and you will find mermaids and faces with distinctly indigenous features among the plant motifs.
The complex also keeps its atrium, open chapel, corner posa chapels and cloister, which help you picture how the missions worked.
What to see and do
Study the facade, from the Franciscan saints at the bottom to Saint Michael at the top.
Look for the mermaids and indigenous faces hidden among the carvings.
Walk the atrium and see the open chapel and the posa chapels in its corners.
Combine it with the Tilaco and Tancoyol missions for a full day on the mission route.
Getting there
Landa de Matamoros is about 20 km east of Jalpan on Highway 120, roughly 20–30 minutes by car on a winding mountain road.
16 km east of Jalpan
Directions from Jalpan on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Places to stay in Misión de Landa
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Weather mild
Misión de Landa shares the climate of Jalpan, 16 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
Make Jalpan your base
Misión de Landa is an easy trip from Jalpan, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Jalpan
-
Presa Jalpan
· Lake · 2 km away
The reservoir just south of town, a calm spot for a walk by the water at the start or end of the day. -
Cascada El Chuveje
· Waterfall · 11 km away
A 30-meter waterfall in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, reached by a short river trail off Highway 120. -
Misión de Tancoyol
· Landmark · 25 km away
A UNESCO-listed mission with the most complex facade of the five, about an hour from Jalpan on a curvy mountain road. -
Concá
· Town · 30 km away
A riverside village with the first-finished Sierra Gorda mission, a giant ancient cypress and warm-water swimming. -
Misión de Tilaco
· Landmark · 30 km away
The smallest facade of the five missions, packed with mermaids and angel musicians, in a remote green valley.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.