Nuestra Señora de la Luz de Tancoyol mission, Franciscan mission station in Jalpan de Serra, Mexico.

Nuestra Señora de la Luz de Tancoyol is a Franciscan mission complex in San Antonio Tancoyol, Jalpan de Serra. Built from 1761 to 1767 by fray Juan Ramos de Lora, it comprises a convent, church, atrium, sacramental door, open chapel and posa chapels. Its churrigueresque facade, the most complex of the five Sierra Gorda missions, shows Saints Peter and Paul, the Franciscan coat of arms, an empty niche that held the Virgin of Light, and a coral window.

The mission was founded in May 1744 by Colonel José de Escandón, the fourth of five Franciscan missions in the Sierra Gorda. The church and convent were built between 1761 and 1767 by fray Juan Ramos de Lora. In 2003 UNESCO inscribed it, with the other Sierra Gorda missions, as a World Heritage Site.

The stone carvings and decorative patterns on the walls show how indigenous craftspeople added their own artistic ideas to Spanish building designs. You can still see this blend of European and local styles today when you look closely at the facades and interior spaces.

The grounds are easy to walk through, with paths connecting the different buildings and open areas. Visitors should plan time to explore both the church interior and the surrounding chapels and outdoor spaces thoroughly.

The mission is one of five Franciscan complexes in Sierra Gorda that received UNESCO World Heritage recognition together in 2003. These five sites form a rare example of the architectural and cultural legacy left by missionary work in this mountain region.