The Old Convent of La Concepción

Mexico City · Mexico · Monastery

María Gil hanged herself in the peach tree for love — and the novices watched her silhouette sway above the convent garden.

The first convent built in New Spain, consecrated in 1540, stands at the corner of Belisario Domínguez and República de Brasil. Its legend belongs to María Gil, a young woman in love with a man named Arrutia. When he abandoned her for money paid by her brothers she wept without pause, and the brothers had her placed in the convent so she might forget. Enclosure did not help: one morning the sisters found her hanged from a peach tree in the garden. She was buried within the walls, but months later novices began to see her silhouette swaying in the tree and her face reflected in the fountain. The convent forbade the nuns to enter the garden after dark — a rule said to have held for decades.

FAQ

Where is The Old Convent of La Concepción located?

The Old Convent of La Concepción is in Mexico City, Mexico.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.