Querétaro, Mexico
Registration Year
Registered Sector
Historical Function
Administrative Status
News
Location and site
Historical Reference
- Inhabited by the Otomi, the future Querétaro fell into the hands of the Aztecs (1446) before being conquered by an Otomi chief named Charles V (1531). Soon after that a number of Spanish, Tarasco and Chichimeca people joined the Otomi and settled down there.
- Because Querétaro was located near agricultural resources its role in the organization of the land of New Spain included providing supplies to the mining cities of Guanajuato and Zacatecas. It achieved the status of city in 1655 and reached a peak.
- In the 18th century, the prosperity generated by the mining centres resulted in architectural developments inspired by the Baroque style in the city.
- The independence of Mexico in 1810 was followed by economic decline in Querétaro and its region. Military confrontations continued.
- The peace treaty with the United States was signed in Querétaro in 1848, which was then the seat of government. Furthermore Querétaro is where the emperor Maximilian de Habsbourg was taken and shot after the imperial army was defeated by the republican forces. After a reconstruction period, all the revolutionary groups (1917) signed the new national Constitution (which is still in force) in Querétaro.
Urban Morphology
The native district, in the east, and the Spanish district, in the west, are separated by a hill. The orientation of the chapel (La Cruz) built at the top of the hill as early as the 16th century was used as a reference for the more regular urban layout of the colonial district. This hill, which is now the site of a Franciscan monastery, and the Plaza de Armas are the main features of the urban framework. In the east part of the city, a magnificent aqueduct (1735) with its 74 arcades stretches for more than one kilometre.
The many churches and monasteries, the palaces and houses and the fountains make up a mainly Baroque architectural landscape. Inside these buildings the style is expressed even more freely as evidenced by the de Santa Clara and the de Santa Rosa monasteries with their Plateresque and Churrigueresque elements and by numerous enlarged or renovated monuments. In addition to the Baroque work neoclassical monuments or elements (end of the 18th century) can also be found.
Registration Criteria
(II) and (IV) to be completed.
Contact
| Lic. Roberto Loyola Vera Presidente Municipal de Querétaro | Municipio de Querétaro Centro Cívico Querétaro Blvd. Bernardo Quintana #10000 Fracc. Centro Sur Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, México 76090 | Tel: +52.442 238.7700 Fax: +52.442 238.7750 Email: alcalde@municipiodequeretaro.gob.mx |
| Lic. Verónica Maccise Aguirre Jefa de la Unidad de Asuntos Internacionales | Municipio de Querétaro Blvd. Bernardo Quintana no. 10 000 Centro Sur Delegación Josefa Vergara y Hernández C.P. 76090 Querétaro, Querétaro, México | Tel: +52.442 238.7757, +52.442 238.7700 ext. 6102 Fax: +52.442 238.7781 Email: veronica.maccise@municipiodequeretaro.gob.mx |