San Juan del Río is a city on the north of Queretaro State, the second of economic and political importance in the State.
This city has been fruitful archeological ground where many vestiges of the ancient Otomi culture have been found. The Otomi inhabited this region around the year 400 B.C., as one of the oldest societies in Mexico. The spiritual conquest of San Juan del Rio by Spaniards seems to have been more peaceful than in other cities on account of being less populated. It was founded as villa in 1531 with the goal of establishing, together with the villa of Santiago, a frontier to safeguard Spaniards during their battles against Chichimeca groups.
These two villas served as middle grounds between the paths that joined the mines of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi with Mexico City.
Visiting San Juan del Rio is witnessing important and very old religious developments. Especially important is the Temple of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, founded in 1670 and currently under custody of the San Francisco order.
The temple and ex-convent of San Juan de Dios was founded in 1661 and for many years functioned as the city’s hospital; it is currently the grounds of Queretaro’s Autonomous University. The Temple of Nuestro Padre Jesus de la Porteria contains a worshiped image of Christ, according to legend, this beautiful mural was painted by a prisoner on death row and reappeared after repeated attempts at erasing it, an event considered miraculous.
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Source: Explorando Mexico