The construction of the Convent of San Francisco, together with its Temple, was begun in 1567 and was completed in a very short time. In December, 1647, the temple burned down and then was quickly rebuilt.

Religious missionaries were commissioned to evangelize northern New Spain and other territories that today form part of the southern United States. At this time in history, this area of what is now the U.S. was known to people living in Zacatecas as the 'Civilized North.'

Archway after archway in the long entranceway of the Convent.

Following the Law on Nationalization of church property during the Mexican Reforma, religious orders were told to leave their convents and monasteries. The Franciscans who lived here totally abandoned this Convent, resulting in the neglect of the building, all of its artistic and religious artifacts, properties and gardens.

Local residents of the area watched the exit of the Franciscans and promptly moved in. Creating their own communities, materials from the walls and ceilings were sold off or used for their own purposes, accelerating the decline of these buildings. Obviously, no repairs were made to the structures during this time.

The Ex-Convento  continued to deteriorate for almost a century.

Even though in the 1950's there was an effort to repair the old structure before it was completely destroyed, it wasn't until the 1980's that the situation was taken seriously. Famous artist Rafael Coronel offered his vast collection of Mexican masks to be on display in the Templo, exciting the restoration movement.

Those in charge of the restoration kept a sense of the ruins at the same time animating a view of what life must have been like during the previous decades when this Convent was thriving.

Well manicured gardens accentuate the remaining parts of the structure, and a quiet respect is returned.

It's easy to imagine friars wandering around these hallways, through arches and doors. Perhaps they were praying, whispering, contemplating, planning the next religious conversion of geographical areas to the north.

I enjoy viewing the walls and sub-walls to see the construction design. People spend a great deal of money trying to copy the look of ruins, and this is the real thing!

Not all the portions were used or put back in their original locations in the restoration process. Here you see an assemblage of the decorative stone pieces used on walls, over doorways or elsewhere in the Convent.

In the Templo itself, which was in continued use until after the Revolution, I tripped over this trap door on the floor. I was so busy looking up at the vanished ceiling that I neglected to watch where I was stepping.

Mystery! Intrigue! Where did this trapdoor lead? What was under it?

I so much wanted to open it up to find out, but the guard gave me a disapproving look that stopped me in my tracks.

Beautiful stonework, thick walls, tiny doorways.

The day's weather was perfect and the shadows and light were mesmerizing to my eye.

Every turn brought a whole new surprise.

It is easy to become engrossed in the layers of history and humanity of this Ex-Convento.

I wondered who and how many times someone must have peered through this opening in the wall.

Heretical as it must sound, wouldn't you love to have something like this in your own garden at home?

More echoes of archways.

These are flying buttresses used to help counter the stress of the building's structure. With this support, flying buttresses allow the walls themselves to be thinner, creating a more open, airy interior. It's a design you will recognize on cathedrals built during this time period all over the world.

What is it about closed doors that creates such intrigue?

This short, narrow door leads to a room where one of the friars lived all those years ago. I imagined the inside to be very simple living quarters.

This is the back side of the Ex-Convento. Personal rooms and hallways opened up to this wide open space.

My fantasy returns!

To be able to experience such placid, unhurried surroundings with people of like mind... There would be no controversy, right? Everyone having the same tenets, the same goals! Uh...  or maybe I would simply prefer a hotel room.

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