San Nicolás Tolentino Temple and Ex-Monastery, Plateresque temple and monastery in Actopan, Mexico.

San Nicolás Tolentino is a monastery complex in Actopan featuring a church, open chapel, convent buildings, stables, and gardens surrounded by stone walls. The various structures display characteristics of Plateresque, Renaissance, and Gothic architecture that developed during the Spanish colonial period.

The Augustinian order founded the convent in 1546, and it was officially ordained as a priory in 1548 during a chapter held in Mexico City. Construction began in 1550 under fray Andrés de Mata, funded by the indigenous principals Juan Mica Atocpa and Pedro Ixcuinquitlapilco, and was completed by 1560. A second building phase began in 1750 after secularization, and the complex was declared a national historic monument on 2 February 1933.

The name Actopan comes from the Otomí community that the Augustinians moved their headquarters to, abandoning Ixcuinquitlapilco for lack of water. Inside, the stairwell walls show the most notable intellectuals, prelates and saints of the Augustinian order, including Augustine of Hippo and Nicholas of Tolentino, alongside effigies of the indigenous caciques of Actopan and Ixcuinquitlapilco. In the latrine room, colonial graffiti depicts people, horsemen, churches, brick towers and animals.

The complex is straightforward to visit and you can explore the various buildings and areas on your own or join guided tours. It is best to wear appropriate clothing and allow time to thoroughly see the church, chapel, and surrounding spaces.

The complex's water came from an aqueduct begun in 1546, the same year the convent was founded, built to supply both the monastery and the town. The remains of a large cistern and aljibe for the community's use still stand within the grounds. The Augustinians moved the doctrina here from Ixcuinquitlapilco partly because that site lacked water.