Museo Nacional del Virreinato

The Museo Nacional del Virreinato is a museum of colonial history in Tepotzotlán housed in a former Jesuit college from the 16th century. The building is organized around several courtyards with surrounding arcades, a main church with a painted dome, a smaller chapel, and spacious rooms that once served as dormitories, library, and kitchen.

The Jesuits founded the College of San Francisco Javier in the 1580s as a training center for priests and a school for native children. After the order was expelled from New Spain in 1767, the building passed to other religious communities and was later converted into a museum.

The collection displays crafts from the period of the viceroyalty, including gilded carvings, painted cabinets, and liturgical textiles from the 16th to 18th centuries. Visitors can follow how artisans in New Spain combined European models with regional materials and skills.

The museum offers guided tours in several languages and is accessed through a large courtyard leading to the main building. Rooms are located on the ground floor or reached by stairs, so visitors with limited mobility should inquire about accessible areas in advance.

The Church of San Francisco Javier contains an extensive collection of Churrigueresque altarpieces that represent Mexican baroque style with densely carved foliage and gilded columns. These works were created in the 18th century by local artisans and combine Spanish models with regional expression.