San Bartolomé

Valle de Allende, called Valle de San Bartolomé before 1825, is one of the oldest sites in the state of Chihuahua. A Franciscan mission and a prosperous Spanish merchant town coexisted in this place, which was one of the main stops along the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro in the northern part of the country. Today, the town of Valle de Allende has been declared a World Heritage Site as part of the Cultural Route designation recently granted by UNESCO to the Camino Real from Mexico City to Valle de Allende.

The temple in question, according to an inscription on the architrave of its main façade, began construction on May 2, 1788, and was dedicated in 1792, although some authors suggest that the current building is a reconstruction or remodeling of a temple built between 1712 and 1719. Its design was overseen by the architect Nicolás Morín.

The main altarpiece, crafted between 1886 and 1888, is carved in stone and was created by one of the most renowned stonemasons of northern Mexico, Jesús Montoya, together with his son Benigno Montoya.