San Juan Bautista de Coixtlahuaca Convent was built by the Dominicans between 1545 and 1596 in the highly-ornate Plateresque style, a design popular in Spain and its colonies in the 15th and 16th centuries whose name derives from the Spanish word for silver (plata) and meant to evoke the fine, delicate work of silversmiths. (...)
San Juan Bautista de Coixtlahuaca Convent was built by the Dominicans between 1545 and 1596 in the highly-ornate Plateresque style, a design popular in Spain and its colonies in the 15th and 16th centuries whose name derives from the Spanish word for silver (plata) and meant to evoke the fine, delicate work of silversmiths. The exterior of the church has a main portal framed by Corinthian columns and topped with a sculpture of the Holy Ghost. The interior of the church contains a series of paintings, most thought to be painted by Andrés de Concha, including Saint Joaquin, Christ Crucified, and the Assumption of the Virgin. There is an elaborately decorated 16th-century altar, to which Baroque details were added in the 18th century. The altar incorporates several paintings, sculptures, and other objects dating from the 16th to 18th centuries. Seismic activity, insect infestation, and limited maintenance have resulted in the deterioration of the altar and the works of art surrounding it.
