Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro

Brief Description

Justification for Inscription

The Committee decided to inscribe the nominated property on the basis of cultural criteria (ii) and (iv) considering that the site is of outstanding universal value and an exceptional example of a colonial town whose layout symbolizes its multi- ethnic population. It is also endowed with a wealth of outstanding buildings, notably from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Long Description

Querétaro is an exceptional example of a colonial town whose layout symbolizes its multi-ethnic population. It is also endowed with a wealth of outstanding buildings, notably from the 17th and 18th centuries.

At the time of the Spanish invasion, the lands around the abandoned site of El Pueblito or El Cerrito were the territory of Otomi people from nearer the Aztec capital, who settled on the site of the present town around 1520. The Otomi leader Kho-ni adopted the Christian faith and was granted permission in 1532 to establish an indigenous village on the site, along with the Spaniard Juan Sanchez Alanis. Spanish settlers adopted the name Queretaro ('at the ball court'), a reference to the form of the narrow valley in which the settlement was situated. From the outset the town had a unique character: the indigenous settlement of Otomis, Tarascos and Chichimecas shared the area with the Spaniards. Thanks to its favourable environmental and geographical conditions, it quickly assumed a double pivotal role in the structure to the south-east that had to be crossed in order to reach the capital of New Spain, passing through the rich lowlands of the north-west, stretching some 700 km almost to the Pacific coast. At the same time it was the boundary between the southern lands, gradually settled by the Spaniards, and the northern region, which was under the control of hostile nomad peoples such as the Chichimecas.

It was also to have an important supply function for the mining towns of Guanajuato and Zacatacas. By 1680 it had become the third city of New Spain, after Mexico and Puebla, with a population of over 30,000. The wealth of Querétaro in the mid-18th century is reflected by the important buildings that were built or reconstructed at that time, giving the town its special Baroque appearance. In the early 19th century its prosperity was based on textile manufacture and tobacco production, which provided employment for one-third of its 40,000 inhabitants. Its considerable degree of autonomy, as witnessed by the appointment of a Corregidor in 1770, encouraged exceptional commercial activity.

However, Mexican independence in 1810 spelt the beginning of Querétaro's economic decline. The region saw many military engagements, continuing to the end of the century. It was also the site of important historic events: the peace treaty with the United States was concluded there in 1848, and in 1867 Emperor Maximilian was imprisoned and later executed there after the defeat of his army nearby. With the beginning of the revolutionary movement in 1909 Querétaro once again assumed a central place in the nation, as it was here that the new National Constitution was signed on 5 February 1917 by all the revolutionary groups after two months of debate in the Teatro de la República.

In this area, defined by two lines of hills with a level area some 1,500 m wide between them through which the river runs, there are 1,400 monuments, of which 20 are religious and 15 are used for public services. The first chapel (La Cruz) was built on a small hillock art the eastern end of the valley. The Plaza de Armas, the seat of government, was arcaded on two sides and surrounded by government buildings and the residences of the leading citizens.

It was not intended that Querétaro should become an Episcopal See and so no place was allocated in the plan for a cathedral. However, all the monastic orders established themselves there. First came the Franciscans, Augustinians and Dominicans, who founded large houses, followed by the Jesuits and Filipenses, as well as female orders. All have left imposing Baroque ensembles, of which the convents of Santa Teresa, El Carmen and, in particular, the convents of Santa Clara and Santa Rosa, are outstanding.

The many non-religious buildings in Querétaro, again mostly Baroque, are not innovative or exceptional in plan. Their special significance lies in the design and construction of a wide range of multilobate arches, to be found only in the interiors of the houses and palaces, which give the Baroque architecture of Querétaro an exceptional and original character, which is enhanced by the 'pink stone of Querétaro', eagerly sought and used in other parts of the region.

Historical Description

The extensive archaeological site known as El Pueblito or El Cerrito, which is dominated by a 30 m high pyramid, is situated 7 km from the centre of Queretaro. The limited investigations carried out there indicate that it experienced two phases of growth: AD 400-600 in the Teotihuacan period and AD 65Q-1050 in the Toltec period.

At the time of the Spanish invasion the lands around this abandoned site were the territory of the nomadic Chichimecas; they were occupied by Otomi people from nearer the Aztec capital; around 1520 they settled on the site of the present town. The Otomi leader Kho-ni, who took the name Fernando de Tapia when he adopted the Christian faith, was granted permission in 1532 by the second Royal Audience to establish an indigenous village on the site, along with the Spaniard Juan Sanchez Alanis. Two years later Spanish settlers coming up the Lerma river, accompanied by a large number of Tarasco Indians, arrived at the site, which was given the name "Ouerentaro", a Tarasco word meaning "at the ball-court"; a reference to the form of the narrow valley in which the settlement was situated.

From the outset the town had a unique character. The indigenous settlement founded in the name of the Spanish crown was based on the presence of three indigenous groups- Otomis, Tarascos, and Chichimecas; they snared the area with the Spaniards, who entrusted the laying out of the town to Sanchez Alanis. Thanks to its favourable environmental and geographical conditions it quickly assumed a double pivotal role in the structure and organization of the new lands of the colony. on the one hand it was the link between the mountains of the south-east that had to be crossed in order to reach the capital of New Spain, passing through the rich lowlands (El Bajío) of the north-west, stretching some 700 km almost to the Pacific coast. At the same time it was the boundary between the southern lands, gradually settled by the Spaniards, and the northern region, which was under the control of hostile nomad peoples such as the Chichimecas.

lt was also to nave an important supply function for the mining towns of Guanajuato and Zacatecas. By 1680 it had become the third city of New Spain, after Mexico and Puebla, with a population of over thirty thousand. The wealth of Queretaro in the mid-18th century is reflected by the important buildings that were built or reconstructed at that time, giving the town its special Baroque appearance. In the early 19th century its prosperity was based on textile manufacture and tobacco production, which provided employment for one-third of its forty thousand inhabitants. Its considerable degree of autonomy, as witnessed by the appointment of a Corregidor in 1770, encouraged exceptional commercial activity.

However, Mexican independence in 1810 spelt the beginning of aueretaro's economic decline. The region saw many military engagements, continuing to the end of the century. lt was also the site of important historic events: the peace treaty with the USA was concluded there in 1848, and in 1867 the Emperor Maximilian was imprisoned and later executed there after the defeat of his army nearby. With the beginning of the revolutionary movement in 1910 Queretaro once again assumed a central place in the nation, since it was here that the new National constitution (which is still in force today) was signed on 5 February 1917 by all the revolutionary groups after two months of debate in the Teatro de la Republica.

After remaining static at around 35,000 inhabitants between 1910 and 1940, the population began to rise rapidly. From 50,000 in 1950 it reached 130,000 in 1970, and now stands at around 450,000.