2020 | Building Peace through Heritage
several other convents that imitate its architectural layout and fresco decoration, such as Totolapan and
Atlatlahucan, which together with Yecapixtla, integrate the important set of Augustinian constructions of
the State of Morelos today.” (INAH, 2016).
This first three ecclesiastical establishments in the region started the continuous expansion of the orders
and the evangelization of the Novo Hispanic people. Next, Table 1 mentions the 14 monasteries selected
by UNESCO and that belong to the World Heritage list.
Name Municipality State
Temple and Former Convent of Saint Matthew the Apostle Atlatlahucan Morelos
Temple and Former Convent of the Assomption Cuernavaca Morelos
Temple and Former Convent of Saint Dominic de Guzman Yautepec Morelos
Temple and Former Convent of Saint James the Apostle Ocuituco Morelos
Temple and Former Convent of Saint Dominic de Guzman Hueyapan Morelos
Ancient Convent of the Nativity Tepoztlán Morelos
Temple and Former convent of Saint John the Baptist Yecapixtla Morelos
Temple and Former Convent of Saint John the Baptist Tlayacapan Morelos
Temple and Former Convent of Saint William Totolapan Morelos
Temple and Former convent of Saint John the Baptist Tetela del Volcán Morelos
Temple and Former Convent of the Immaculate Conception
Zacualpan
de Amilpas
Morelos
Temple and Convent of Saint Andrew Calpan Puebla
Temple and Former Convent of Saint Michael the Archangel Huejotzingo Puebla
Temple and Former Convent of the Assumption of Our Lady Tochimilco Puebla
Table 1 - List of the monasteries that make up the Route of the Volcano or Route of the Convents
Actual importance of the first monasteries of the 16th century
It is known as Route of Monasteries or Route of the Volcano the 14 monasteries located at the Popocatepetl
volcano slopes, which were included on the UNESCO World Heritage, on December 17, 1994.
“This honor was allowed to the Route as they were the architectural monastery model used in all the
Hispanic area of the American continent, as well as to constitute a unique architecture and urbanism example
by incorporating the usage of open space to the catholic cult celebration. These monasteries were
the cornerstone from which the urban territory and the rest of the population were organized. This is easy
to understand if we take into account that those monasteries functioned as school, hospital and even as
shelter, furthermore the water supply, by aqueducts, was planned based on the monastery localization.”
(Mosco, 2018)
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