The Church and Ex-convent of Santo Domingo
The Church of Santo Domingo opened for worship in 1608 and is one of the best examples of baroque architecture in Mexico. The genealogical tree of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (founder of the Order) is outstanding. It is done in gilded and polychrome plasterwork upon the ceiling of the sotacoro (the area under a raised choir). The arched vault of the main nave is also spectacular and has thirty-six paintings depicting passages from both the Old and the New Testament. Oaxacan artists rebuilt the splendid, gilt baroque retable in 1959. The eighteenth-century Capilla del Rosario (annexed to the church) is an architectural jewel dedicated to the Virgin of the same name. Within it there are paintings of the Virgin and of Christ. The joyful, painful, and glorious “mysteries” of the rosary are depicted upon the walls of the church, and upon the ceiling of the choir.

Today the ex-convent houses an excellent museum run by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). It has often hosts folk art exhibits and has an ethno-botanical garden that has tours in both Spanish and English.

The Church and Ex-convent of Carmen Alto
This religious complex belonged to the Order of the Barefoot Carmelites, who settled in Oaxaca in 1696 and built the hermitage of La Santa Veracruz upon the site of the great Teocali (Temple) of Huaxyacac, where every July the prehispanic people celebrated the great Fiesta de los Señores in which a maiden was sacrificed to honor Centéotl, the Goddess of Corn and Agriculture. The festivity has been Christianized and is the current fiesta of the Guelaguetza (also known as the Lunes del Cerro), which coincides with festivities honoring the Virgen del Carmen. Around 1856 the convent was secularized and passed into the hands of the federal government; it then served as a jail and a cavalry barracks. The church has been restored and is open for public worship.

The Church of the Preciosa Sangre de Cristo
The church is built where the main cemetery for the city was located until the middle of the seventeenth century. Initially it was dedicated to assist the local parish, but in 1893 Archbishop Eulogio Gillow declared it a separate parish. The main facade of the church has a portada (ornate, multilevel entryway) and three towers with small steeples. The interior has a single nave with a barrel vault. In the presbytery there is an image of Jesus guarded by angels with the Virgen Dolorosa at the foot of the cross.

The Cathedral
Construction of the cathedral began in 1535. However, as was the case with many other buildings, earthquakes damaged it on several occasions, and after every major earthquake it had to be reconstructed. The last important reconstruction was carried out between 1702 and 1733. It was consecrated by Fray Francisco Calderón in July 1733. Its most remarkable element is its baroque facade, decorated with splendid relief work, among which the Assumption of the Virgen, crowned by the Holy Trinity, stands out. In the interior, the main retable, the choir seating, and the tubular organ are of particular interest, as are the several eighteenth-century paintings and the images and relics contained in the fourteen side chapels.

The Church and Ex-convent of San Agustín
This complex belonged to the Augustinian Order, which arrived in the city in 1576. Friar Juan Adriano founded the Augustinian mission of Oaxaca. This religious community was renowned for its educational activities. They opened a school of humanities where they taught subjects ranging from the alphabet and art to theology. Bishop Fernando de Albuquerque donated the property where the monks built their convent. In 1862, soon after the secularization decree, the federal government gave the Convent of San Agustín to the Institute of Sciences and Arts. In 1893 Bishop Eulogio Gillow acquired the convent and founded the “Casa de Cuna,” a child-welfare institution still in operation today.

The Church of San Juan de Dios
This church dates back to 1521, to the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadors to Oaxaca. The first religious construction is attributed to the friars Juan Díaz and Bartolomé de Olmedo, clergymen who came with the forces of Hernán Cortés. At first it was an adobe chapel with a thatch-roof, dedicated to Santa Catalina.

When the Villa of Antequera (now Ciudad Oaxaca de Juarez) was declared Diocesan Headquarters, the chapel was reconstructed with bricks and tiles to fulfill its new function, while a new building was being erected. The church is considered the first cathedral of Oaxaca. It was headed by Bishop Juan López de Zárate who arrived in Oaxaca in 1535. It was declared a historical monument on 9 January 1934. In the interior there are some fascinating seventeenth-century oil paintings that illustrate episodes from the early life of Oaxaca, among them: the first mass held in Oaxaca, the baptism of Cosijoeza, The Cross of Huatulco, and the Cajonos idolaters.

The Church and Ex-convent of the Compañía de Jesús
Jesuits began the construction of this church in 1579. It was dedicated to San Francisco Javier. The convent was built around four rectangular patios surrounded by corridors and arcades supported by Doric columns. Due to the secularization decree of 1867 the building was abandoned for more than thirty years. Near the turn of the century the convent and seminary were broken up and sold to private interests. At that time the ground floor was transformed into businesses and the upper floors were turned into warehouses. The building was declared a historical monument on 4 May 1933.

The main retable in the church is wooden and retains some of its ancient gilded figures. It has one body and a remate (crowning portion or finial). In the central niche, between estípite pilasters (elaborate baroque pilasters with stacked, inverted, and truncated pyramids), there is an image of the Immaculate Conception. On either side are niches that contain images of the Virgin's parents, San Joaquín and Santa Ana.

The Church and Ex-convent of San José
Jesuits had the Church of San José constructed between 1588 and 1594. It was abandoned for many years due to damage suffered during the earthquake of 1616. At the beginning of the eighteenth century Bishop Ángel Maldonado initiated the rebuilding of it and had a convent annexed to it in which to house Spanish nuns of the Capuchin congregation. Today it houses the recently remodeled School of Fine Arts.

During the Mexican Revolution the former-convent functioned as a blood donation center, hospital, and an old-age asylum. Its simple facade has a triangular pediment above a recess that contains an image of San José. The facade of the convent is a unique expression of baroque architecture. Of the interior patios only that of the main entrance is in use today.

The Church of San Felipe Neri
The construction of the Church of San Felipe Neri began in 1733 and was finished in 1770 (with the exception of the bell towers that date from the nineteenth century). It was consecrated in 1773 and dedicated to the Virgen del Patrocino and San Felipe Neri. Its baroque main facade consists of a portada and twin bell towers. The most important items found in the interior are five ostentatious, estípite, gilded retables carved in wood. The main retable, which covers the wall of the apse, has four bodies divided vertically into three sections and has a remate. There is a public fountain, built into the corner of the atrium, which faces an important intersection.

The Church and Ex-convent of San Matías Jalatlaco
A hermitage dedicated to Santa Catarina Mártir was built here in 1669. In 1700 the church was finished and rededicated to San Matías Apóstol. It was declared it a historical monument on 13 March 1941. The most outstanding features of this structure are its portada and the bell tower (which has pilasters with Corinthian capitals). The interior has a single nave with a long barrel vault.

The Basilica and Ex-Convent de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
The construction of the church began in 1682; it was consecrated in 1690 by Friar Isidro Siraña y Cuenca. Its main facade is one of the finest examples of sculpted cantera in Oaxaca City. It has sculptures framed by different types of columns. Above the entryway there is a relief of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross.

The Convent of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad was built between 1690 and 1697. The work is attributed to Friar Sebastián de San Felipe, who probably also supervised construction of the church. The convent belonged to Augustinian nuns who dedicated it to Santa Mónica. Currently this building is used by the municipal government of Oaxaca City.

The Ex-Convent of Santa Catarina de Siena
The convent was founded by Bishop Bernardino de Alburquerque in 1568 and was called the Monasterio del Rosario de María. The convent was started with four nuns brought from Mexico City and was located in a private residence donated by Bishop Albuquerque. In 1579 the construction of the convent was entrusted to Hernando Cavarcos, who had supervised the construction of the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán. The construction of the convent began a few years before the end of the sixteenth century and was completed in the eighteenth century.

Soon after the expulsion of the nuns in 1862 (due to the Laws of Reformation), the convent served as a jail, and the church and atrium became the Municipal Palace. Later on, the church served as a cinema (a door which is still in use was opened in the western wall). At the beginning of the twentieth century a Masonic lodge was installed in the portion of the building on the corner of Reforma and Murguía. In 1950 the Abraham Castellanos School was opened in the remaining portion facing Reforma. Lastly, in 1976, the former-convent became the Hotel Presidente (today the prestigious Hotel Camino Real) and was declared a National Treasure.