Cuilápam Monastery
Oaxaca · Mexico · Monastery
The basilica was never finished — whatever rose by day, the Devil is said to have torn down by night.
The Dominicans' vast monastery at Cuilápam was begun in the 1530s but never completed: its great basilica still stands open to the sky. Legend tells of a broken pact with the Devil, who took his revenge by demolishing each night what the masons had raised during the day. It was here, too, that independence hero and former president Vicente Guerrero was held prisoner before being executed by firing squad on 14 February 1831, and his fate hangs heavily over the empty halls. Visitors report cold draughts, footsteps in the cloisters and the feeling of never quite being alone among the ruins.
FAQ
Where is Cuilápam Monastery located?
Cuilápam Monastery is in Oaxaca, Mexico.
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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.
Image: DavidConFran · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons