Oxolotán

Oxolotán is a small village a short drive up the Oxolotán River from Tapijulapa, deep in the green hills of southern Tabasco. Its reason to visit is the old convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, one of the oldest colonial buildings in the state.

Franciscan friars began building it in 1572, and Dominicans took it over a decade later and finished it in 1633. From here the friars looked after the Indigenous towns of the sierra, from Tapijulapa and Teapa to Jalapa and Amatán. As cacao plantations elsewhere took over the economy, Oxolotán lost its importance, and by the 18th century the convent was abandoned. In 1926, during the religious persecution of governor Tomás Garrido Canabal, it was dynamited: the sacristy, cloister and bell tower were destroyed and only the main nave was left standing.

The state and INAH began restoring what remained in 1979. Today the building holds the Museo de la Sierra, run by INAH, with colonial religious art and rooms that tell the story of the region and of the convent itself. The church is still in use, and the quiet village around it is a good look at everyday life in the Tabasco highlands.