Protection is being prepared for the cultural heritage of Cadereyta de Montes, Querétaro.

The Federal Ministry of Culture (SC) published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) the agreement initiating the process for issuing the declaration of the city of Cadereyta de Montes, Querétaro, as a Historic Monument Zone.

This declaration establishes that the delimited area “is made up of 44 blocks, containing 189 buildings and urban elements of historical value, constructed between the 17th and 19th centuries. These buildings preserve the region’s unique characteristics and, together, provide special relevance to the urban image and its immediate surroundings. Their location and National Catalogue of Historic Monuments number are listed.”

For example, the civil architecture stands out, such as the former Royal Houses and the Royal Jail of Cadereyta, and buildings from the 17th to 19th centuries that are relevant examples of Mexican Baroque and Neoclassical architecture, such as the Parish Church of San Pedro and San Pablo, the Church of Our Lady of Solitude, and the Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem, as well as the chapels of Santa Escala and La Concepción.

In the publication, the Ministry of Culture detailed that the municipality is also home to the archaeological site of Toluquilla, a pre-Hispanic site occupied from 400 BC until shortly before the arrival of the Spanish.

The importance of this site is largely attributed to the mineral resources found nearby, which is why it is considered “a representative example of the cultural expression known as Serrana, widespread in the southern region of the Sierra Gorda.”

According to the INAH, a research project began in 1996 in Toluquilla, led by archaeologist Elizabeth Mejía Pérez Campos, “which has allowed not only the collection of a large quantity of materials, but also carbon-14 dating and DNA analysis.” Today, it is known that this town, with 200 monuments—the largest in the state of Querétaro—specialized in the knowledge, search, and exploitation of minerals.”

The agreement also establishes that, in order to preserve and conserve the historic area of the city of Cadereyta de Montes, “as a precautionary measure, the prohibition of the placement of any advertisements, signs, billboards, garages, gas stations, poles, lighting installations, kiosks, pavilions, stalls, or other construction within the area to be declared without authorization from the INAH is established.

The area consists of 44 blocks containing 189 buildings and urban elements of historical value, built between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Source: excelsior