There’s a very simple reason to visit this wonderful museum comprising the restored Jesuit Iglesia de San Francisco Javier and an adjacent monastery . Much of the folk art and fine art on display – silver chalices, pictures created from inlaid wood, porcelain, furniture and religious paintings and statues – comes from Mexico City cathedral’s large collection, and the standard is very high.
Once a Jesuit college of indigenous languages, the complex dates from 1606. Additions were made over the following 150 years, creating a showcase for the developing architectural styles of Nueva España.
Don’t miss the Capilla Doméstica , with a Churrigueresque main altarpiece that boasts more mirrors than a carnival fun house. The facade is a phantasmagoric array of carved saints, angels, plants and people, while the interior walls and the Camarín del Virgen adjacent to the altar are swathed with gilded ornamentation.
