MEXICO-Guanajuato State-Guanajuato: Templo de San Cayetano de la Valenciana Church- (b.1788) Church by the famous Valenciana Silver Mine- Exterior

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Templo La Valenciana

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On a hill overlooking Guanajuato, 5km north of the center, is the magnificent Templo La Valenciana. Its facade is spectacular and its interior dazzles with ornate golden altars, filigree carvings and giant paintings. Ground was broken here in 1765 and the church was completed in 1788.

One legend says that the Spaniard who started the nearby San Ramón mine promised San Cayetano that if it made him rich, he would build a church to honor the saint. Another says that the silver baron of La Valenciana, Conde de Rul, tried to atone for exploiting the miners by building the ultimate in Churrigueresque churches.

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