Santiago Apóstol parish in Tequixquiac
Santiago Apóstol parish is the Catholic church and parish house of the people of Santiago Tequixquiac town, in the municipality of Tequixquiac. Has always belonged to the Diocese of Cuautitlan in Mexico and is a sanctuary where they worship the image of Lord of the Chapel. This church is located in the center of town, near Plaza Cuauhtemoc and the municipal library next to the Avenida Juárez. This colonial building is a monument of great architectural importance has lasted until today in the Municipality of Tequixquiac.[1]
History
The viceregal government justified this by religious means. They had the Franciscans build new chapels built on the various encomiendas and settled the Indians around these. One of these chapels was the Temple of Santiago Tequixquiac which had authority over the new villages of San Mateo Hueycalco, San Sebastián Tlalachco and others. This temple was constructed in 1569. It became a formal parish in 1590.
This temple was constructed in various phases. The atrium was a large space encased in stone with a cross on top of it but with Christian and indigenous symboles mixed on its walls. In each of its four corners there are wells and in the center there is an open space with Solomonic columns. The facade contains two doorways that are elaborately decorated in stonework which contains indigenous symbolism as well. The temple and the town are dedicated to the Apostle James. During a drought, a sculpture of the "Señor de la Capilla" (Our Lord of the Chapel) was brought over to Tequixquiac from Apaxco. When the drought broke, the image was not returned, presumably because it was made of fiber and had grown too heavy to carry. From then on, it has stayed in this town and many miracles have been attributed to it. The parish's vault was constructed in 1856.
References
- ↑ Historic landmark in Tequixquiac (Spanish).
External links
Coordinates: 20°16′06″N 98°56′35″W / 20.26833°N 98.94306°W