Can you smell the clay from here? Santiago Tepalcatlalpan is renowned for its especially fine clay. It is called tepalcatl. Locals once used it for crafting ceremonial objects.
Santiago Tepalcatlalpan is one of Xochimilco’s 14 original settlements. Its history dates back to the year 1300. Legend says this is when the town was founded. The Nahuatl name means place of tepalcatl.
Walk with me. We are about to uncover the charm of Santiago Tepalcatlalpan. It is a repository of significant charm. A stroll around any of the corners in the center will show you why.
Santiago Tepalcatlalpan has seen battles. Hernán Cortés nearly faced capture here. The Spanish fought hard against the Xochimilca people. Cortés called upon Santiago, the Moore Slayer, for assistance. He was grateful for surviving the ordeal. Cortés then founded the chapel here. It later evolved into the Church of Santiago Apóstol. The town revolved around it. This was throughout the colonial period and the 19th century.
Did you know that Santiago Tepalcatlalpan is best known for hosting the UNAM Fine Arts and Design Department? Art students arrive from all over the city. You can walk from the Xochimilco Light Rail station. It takes about 25 minutes. Cost-conscious students catch a bus from La Noria station. A taxi from either station will take about ten minutes.
The town is famous for its Sunday market. It largely takes place outside the parish church. It also fills the surrounding streets. Santiago Apóstol church was for many centuries the center of public life in the town.
Let’s step inside the Church of Santiago Apóstol. It began with Franciscan missionaries. This was around the middle of the 16th century. They built a chapel and supporting buildings. This was on the site of the present-day temple.
The church rebuilding in 1711 marked its first appearance in the historical record. The oldest of the church’s five bells dates from 1717. The church needed rebuilding again in 1770 and 1896. Builders replicated the older structure. It became a parish church only in 1972.
Inside the church you can see important paintings. One depicts Our Lady of Guadalupe. It dates from 1764. Another is of Christ. It dates from 1720. It bears the signature of painter Hipólito de los Olivos. A third is of Saints Peter and Paul. It is also from the 18th century. The atrial wall went up in about 1949. The church interior is in good condition.
Santiago Tepalcatlalpan offers a unique blend of history art and culture. It invites everyone to explore its streets. You can discover its hidden gems. You can experience its vibrant community.