Native Trails MyTrails 2025 228 Querétaro 1 Visit of the Mission of San Miguel Concá Duration: 01:00 h · Level: Easy Among the five Franciscan missions in the Sierra Gorda that the UNESCO has listed as World Cultural Heritage, San Miguel Concá is considered to show Indian influences most clearly. This begins with the very word concá, which is from the Pame language and means “with me”, so it can be interpreted as an invocation. Other symbols such as the rabbit – equally from the Pame culture – in the sculpture of the Trinity and the double-headed eagle as a sign denoting the mixture of cultures must also be seen in this context. 2 Visit of the Mission of Nuestra Señora de la Luz de Tancoyol Duration: 01:00 h · Level: Easy Built in the 1760s, the church of the Franciscan mission of Nuestra Señora de la Luz in Tancoyol in the Sierra Gorda, declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 2003, continues to fascinate its visitors. Under the central theme of mercy, the façade shows elements from both the other side of the Atlantic, e.g., the passion of Christ or the stigmata of Saint Francis, and the local tradition such as figures with distinctly indigenous traits. 3 Visit of the Museo Histórico de la Sierra Gorda Duration: 01:30 h · Level: Easy The five Franciscan missions of the Sierra Gorda were built in the final phase of Christianization in the mid18th century and continued to be important during the subsequent evangelization of California, Arizona, and Texas. The magnificent stucco façades are unique in Mexico and particularly interesting because Indians and missionaries designed them together so that they are intimately related to the people of this mountain region. 4 Visit of the Mission of Santiago de Jalpan Duration: 01:00 h · Level: Easy As soon as you enter the atrium, the lintel chiseled in shell form will let you know that the patron saint of the church is the apostle James. A closer look at the façade shows statues of various saints and an elaborate interlaced ornamentation. The church interior has been designed in a rather severe, neoclassical style. Santiago de Jalpan was built as the first of five Franciscan mission churches in the Sierra Gorda in the 1750s; all of those missions have been listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. 5 Hike to the Puente de Dios Duration: 03:00 h · Level: Difficult The hike to the Puente de Dios in the Sierra Gorda is a great experience and at the same time a challenge for your balance and surefootedness. Following the torrent Río Escanela at the bottom of the Cañon de la Angostura, you change sides repeatedly, climb carved steps and surmount stones and basalt boulders, before you reach the grotto, which is open to both sides of the river. Admire the lush vegetation – a true jungle. 6 Visit of the Mission Santa María del Agua de Landa Duration: 01:00 h · Level: Easy Like the other five UNESCO-listed Franciscan missions in the Sierra Gorda, the church of Santa María del Agua de Landa is characterized by a copiously decorated façade. Although it shows plenty of details, the artists left nothing to chance. Some of the statues of saints in the niches, for instance, are of central importance in the Franciscan order, while other figures refer to the Immaculate Conception, which was established as a Catholic Church dogma about one century later.
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