Agustino Transfiguration

Beautiful courtyard with views of the mountain. Bathroom cost me 5 pesos, and didn’t include any soap or toilet paper!

A hidden place in Mexican country side, full of ancient history from the XVI century (1546) when Agustinos order came Mexico and decided to stablish in this magical place to convert indigenous people to Catholicism, here was under construction by the Spanish arrival one of the most important and unique Aztec temples and stopped suddenly with the Aztec empire defeat giving place to this colonial masterpiece of religious art. The main church unfortunately is closed because of the 2017 earthquake and is under reconstruction but you can have some of his magic at the side area.

Beautiful murals.excellent explanation by official guide.

The Convent was founded in 1540 by Augustinian friars, indigenous people worked there for its construction, always supported by the financial support of the encomendero Cristóbal Rodríguez de Ávalos. The ground floor of the convent building and the church were built at the same time, finishing them in 1560, as for the upper cloister it is thought that it was added around 1580, because by 1568 the installation of the boxes was expected and it is said that for this site worked the painter of Flemish origin Simón Pereyns. The ensemble played a very important role in the evangelization process of the area. One of the ways was through wall painting. In the convent, we can observe three pictorial programs, the first is an extension of orchards and gardens, the second in the Renaissance style and finally the message with images of the passion of Christ. The Murals cover the four walls, cover around 825 m2 and are made by indigenous labor under the supervision of the friars. The pigments in the paint were obtained by burning vegetables, in this way they achieved black and gray tones; the wall was given a coat of lime and painted over it. In them we can see flora of the region, so it is considered that the murals are also a botanical manual. In the same way we can find fauna and 3 medallions with the symbols of Jesus Christ, Mary Queen of Heaven and the Augustinian emblem. Without a doubt, the paintings of the Malinalco convent are a great example of the fusion of two cultures.

The artistic work that is in the walls of the outer corridor and the central courtyard are the best shelter that I have had the opportunity to see ... the building in general looks the ravages proposed of the time and but bad memory was also affected by the earthquake of the year 2017 ... the history of the Cross of the atrium is significant and the rest of the visit has left me with a great taste ... it seems that time stopped ... And that is valid to give that magic touch and mysterious to the place ... greetings !!