Landmark 7 km southeast of Tepotzotlán
A Baroque Franciscan church, now a cathedral, that keeps rare 16th-century paintings attributed to Flemish master Martín de Vos.
Cuautitlán, today a busy part of greater Mexico City just south of Tepotzotlán, was one of the first places the Franciscans reached after the Conquest. Friars first arrived in 1524, on the feast of Saint Bonaventure, which gave the convent its name, and work on the first friary began in 1532. The present church, the third on the site, was built between 1655 and 1732, and in 1979 it became the cathedral of the new Diocese of Cuautitlán.
The building has a Latin-cross plan with a tall nave and transept, and mixes Baroque and Neoclassical work. Its great treasure is a group of large paintings attributed to Martín de Vos, a leading painter of 16th-century Antwerp whose work was shipped to New Spain. Works by him are rare in the Americas, and scholars consider the Cuautitlán canvases among the most important; in recent decades a new altarpiece was designed to show them properly.
Cuautitlán also figures in the Guadalupe story, since tradition holds that Juan Diego, the Indigenous man to whom the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared, came from this area. It is a short stop, but a worthwhile one for anyone who has enjoyed the colonial art at Tepotzotlán's Museo Nacional del Virreinato.
What to see and do
See the paintings attributed to Martín de Vos in the cathedral's altarpiece.
Take in the Baroque nave and transept of the 17th–18th-century church.
Pair the visit with the Museo Nacional del Virreinato in Tepotzotlán.
Ask about the local Juan Diego tradition.
Getting there
The cathedral stands in the center of Cuautitlán, about 8 km south of Tepotzotlán, roughly 20 minutes by car depending on traffic. The Tren Suburbano also serves Cuautitlán from Mexico City. As a working cathedral, it is best visited outside Mass times.
7 km southeast of Tepotzotlán
Directions from Tepotzotlán on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather cool
Catedral de Cuautitlán shares the climate of Tepotzotlán, 7 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
Make Tepotzotlán your base
Catedral de Cuautitlán is an easy trip from Tepotzotlán, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Tepotzotlán
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Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.