The Parish Church of Saint James the Apostle lit up at blue hour, with Chignahuapan’s main square full of people.
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Faith, art and tradition · Sierra Norte of Puebla

A journey of faithThe churches of Chignahuapan

A façade carved by the hands of the sierra, the tallest indoor Virgin in Latin America, a mushroom the town has venerated since the 19th century and a chapel high on Cerrito Colorado.

Start the route See them on the map

Plaza de la Constitución

Parish Church of Saint James the Apostle

It is the oldest church in town: it was founded in the 16th century facing what is now the main square, and it is dedicated to Chignahuapan’s patron saint.

Its mortar façade was designed and reworked between 1752 and 1822, and both dates are still painted on it. Mexico’s Ministry of Culture calls it “the finest example of indigenous baroque”: local hands interpreting, in their own way, the art arriving from Europe.

  • Saint James on horseback, in high relief with his sword drawn, at the top of the façade.
  • The dates 1752 and 1822, in two medallions below the relief of the saint.
  • A Tláloc hidden among fruit and serpent-shaped gargoyles: take your time to find them.
  • The tower clock: according to the Ministry of Culture, the first one made by Relojes Centenario, the clock factory in Zacatlán.
Where
Plaza de la Constitución, facing the central park
Patron saint’s feast
25 July (in 2026, from 18 to 26 July)
The Parish Church and the historic center
The top of the parish church façade lit up at night: Saint James on horseback with his banner, between two urns, under the golden arch.
The top of the façade, with Saint James on horseback and the two years of its making.
The image of Saint James the Apostle on a white horse, wearing a red cape, in the procession of his feast, under papel picado.
Saint James on horseback, in the procession of his July feast.

Calle Romero Vargas

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

Inside awaits the tallest indoor Virgin in Latin America: an Immaculate Conception more than 12 metres tall, carved in cedar by Puebla sculptor José Luis Silva, commissioned by the parish priest Ildefonso Illescas.

The church was built between 1960 and 1972, entirely in black quarry stone; the first stone was laid on 28 February 1960. The Virgin’s one-metre crown was placed in 1999.

Stand in the middle of the nave and look up: from the door you can’t grasp the scale.

Where
Calle Romero Vargas, two blocks from the square
Hours
Every day, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Feast
8 December, with a carpet of flowers and sawdust; free entry
Get to know the Basilica
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception from a drone, head-on: the stone tower, the entrance with its sign and the zigzag roof
All in black quarry stone, two blocks from the square.
The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, more than 12 metres tall and carved in wood, holding the Christ Child, in her blue mantle, on the basilica’s altar.
The Immaculate Conception, carved in cedar.

Ixtlahuaca neighbourhood

The Honguito Sanctuary

It is the town’s most singular devotion. Its pink-fronted sanctuary keeps a mushroom which, according to tradition, turned to stone and shows the image of Christ: the Señor del Honguito.

According to the study published in 1975 by mycologists Gastón Guzmán, R. Gordon Wasson and Teófilo Herrera, it was found in the 19th century by Dolores Rojas, a lime burner from Ixtlahuaca, in a nearby ravine. The scientists described it as a woody bracket fungus, Ganoderma lobatum, preserved for more than a century.

It began as a small oratory. The first stone of the sanctuary was laid in 1941, on the road to the hot springs, and the church was finished in 1957 as “Our Lord of the Little Mushroom”. It was later called the Lord of Health, and the Ministry of Culture’s catalogue lists it as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To everyone, it is simply El Honguito.

Where
Ixtlahuaca neighbourhood, on the road to the hot springs
From the center
About 2 km from the main square
Hours
It varies: check before you go
A large arch of white, pink and red flowers in the churchyard, with worshippers around it.
An arch of flowers for the Señor del Honguito.
The golden reliquary of the Señor del Honguito, with its plaque, surrounded by red roses, pink lilies and white flowers.
The reliquary of the Señor del Honguito, among flowers.

On the outskirts, to the northeast

El Calvario, on Cerrito Colorado

On top of Cerrito Colorado, a hill of reddish earth among pines and grassland, the church of El Calvario, with peach walls and a green roof, looks out over the whole valley. It is one of the best viewpoints in the municipality.

You can go up on foot or by bike: there are hiking and cycling routes, and entry is free. Bring hiking shoes and water.

Where
About 5 km northeast of the center
Access
Free entry
Find it on the map
The church of El Calvario on Cerrito Colorado, from the air: peach walls, green roof and dome and a bell tower, among pines and grass.
El Calvario, at the top of the hill.
The El Calvario chapel on top of Cerrito Colorado, among pine trees, with the sierra and mountains behind.
The chapel among the pines, with the sierra behind.

San Antonio Matlahuacales

La Villita

In San Antonio Matlahuacales, a village in the south of the municipality home to 1,394 people, stands the chapel of La Villita, dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Where
San Antonio Matlahuacales, about 11 km from the center
On the map
Coming soon
Photo comingThe chapel of La Villita

5 km south of the center

The chapel of the Atlamaxac Hacienda

It is spelled Atlamaxac and pronounced “Atlamajac”. The hacienda dates from the 17th century and keeps its chapel beside the old main house. It is private property, rented out for events, and open to visitors.

Photo comingThe hacienda chapel

The route, in order

How to visit them

The two churches in the center can be visited on foot in a morning; for El Honguito, El Calvario, Atlamaxac and La Villita a car is best.

  1. Parish of Saint JamesOn the main square: start here.
  2. BasilicaTwo blocks away, on foot.
  3. El HonguitoAbout 2 km away, on the road to the hot springs.
  4. El CalvarioOn Cerrito Colorado: go up on foot or by bike.
  5. AtlamaxacThe hacienda, about 5 km south.
  6. La VillitaIn San Antonio Matlahuacales, about 11 km away.
  • These are living churchesThere are masses, weddings and baptisms: go in quietly and don’t interrupt.
  • Photos with permissionDuring a service, ask before taking photos and turn off the flash.
  • On feast days, walkDuring patron saint festivities there are processions and carpets in the street: walk, and don’t step on the carpets.

Before you go

Frequently asked questions

Which is the oldest church in Chignahuapan?

The Parish Church of Saint James the Apostle, founded in the 16th century facing the main square. Its indigenous baroque façade was carved and reworked between 1752 and 1822.

What is El Honguito in Chignahuapan?

A sanctuary that keeps a woody mushroom more than a hundred years old, venerated as the Señor del Honguito. It stands in the Ixtlahuaca neighbourhood, on the road to the hot springs, and the church was completed in 1957.

Where is the tallest indoor Virgin in Latin America?

In the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, on Calle Romero Vargas, two blocks from the square. Puebla sculptor José Luis Silva carved it in cedar.

When is the feast of Saint James in Chignahuapan?

The saint’s day is 25 July. In 2026 the patron saint festivities ran from 18 to 26 July, with carpets, dances and the Saint James Fair.

Can you go up Cerrito Colorado?

Yes. You can go up on foot or by bike, and entry is free. Bring hiking shoes and water.

After the route

Keep exploring

Sources: Mexico’s Ministry of Culture (Cultural Information System), Bulletin of the Mexican Mycological Society (1975), e-consulta, El Universal Puebla and N+.