Santuario del Señor de Mapethé, Colonial church in Cardonal, Mexico.

The Santuario del Señor de Mapethé is a parish church in Mapethé, Cardonal, Hidalgo. Its atrio covers about 3,750 m² and the building about 1,000 m², set on terraces and ramps on uneven mountain terrain. High crenellated masonry walls enclose the atrium, whose main access is a semicircular arch carved with flowers, a sun and a cross.

The church existed by 1540 or 1545 in Real del Plomo Pobre, a lead-mining settlement; a 1621 hurricane destroyed half the chapel roof. In 1727 Agustín de la Cruz Morales began gathering building material, and in 1728 viceroy Juan Vázquez de Acuña y Bejarano authorised a new church. Master builder Gregorio Durán is linked to the 1737 door lintel, and the main altarpiece was gilded in 1765.

The church is dedicated to a crucifix known as El Cristo de Mapethé or Nuestro Señor de Mapethé, an image widely venerated in Mexico during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The village was formerly called Real del Plomo Pobre because lead was mined there.

The sanctuary sits near Ixmiquilpan and is accessible by car or public bus from Mexico City. Plan your visit during regular hours to explore the building and its features without rushing.

The pipe organ built in 1776 by Joseph Joaquín de Bera Betancurt survives as a case; a harmonium in the choir suggests the tubular organ fell silent between 1920 and 1930. Its restoration was presented in January 2001.