The former Convent of San Miguel Arcangel in Maní was constructed between 1548 and 1557. It originally consisted of a two-level cloister, living quarters for the monks, a church, a portico with four chapel-shrines, an open-air chapel, a hospital, and the first school for Yucatán natives. (...)
The former Convent of San Miguel Arcangel in Maní was constructed between 1548 and 1557. It originally consisted of a two-level cloister, living quarters for the monks, a church, a portico with four chapel-shrines, an open-air chapel, a hospital, and the first school for Yucatán natives. The surviving features of the convent are the cloister, the church, the sanctuary of the open-air chapel, and one of the four chapel-shrines. The church contains one of the best collections of locally made altarpieces, sculptures, and mural paintings dating from the 17th to 19th centuries.
By the early 21st century, the general wear and tear of the building over centuries of use and exposure had begun to take their toll: the roof suffered damage, the semicircular vaults of the church interior had cracked, water infiltration caused the progressive deterioration of the sandstone masonry and renderings of lime and sand, and the continual presence of moisture has damaged the historic wall paintings and the sculpted architectural elements.
