Project

Santa Prisca Church was built following the discovery of a silver mine on the property of José de la Borda. He was so thankful for the discovery on his land that he commissioned the construction of the church, which lasted from 1751 to 1758. Santa Prisca was designed in a highly ornate style of Mexican baroque architecture known as Churrigueresque. (...)

Santa Prisca Church was built following the discovery of a silver mine on the property of José de la Borda. He was so thankful for the discovery on his land that he commissioned the construction of the church, which lasted from 1751 to 1758. Santa Prisca was designed in a highly ornate style of Mexican baroque architecture known as Churrigueresque. The glorification of martyrdom was adopted as the central subject for its altarpieces and paintings. Several well-known Mexican artists contributed to the church’s interior decoration, including Cayetan de Siguenza, Isidoro Vincente de Balbas, Joseph de Alba, and the prolific Miguel Cabrera.Today, Taxco de Alarcon remains a lively mining city, with the silver mine beneath the 250-year-old church still in operational. Vibrations from the blasts, earthquakes, and automobile traffic have caused cracks in Santa Prisca’s vaults. In 1997, Amigos de Santa Prisca mobilized a local campaign to address these structural problems and preserve the church.