Santa Isabel

Santa Isabel is located approximately 50 kilometers west of the city of Chihuahua, in the heart of the state, on the banks of the river of the same name. Founded in 1668 by Franciscan friars under the name Santa Isabel de Tarahumares—in reference to the predominant indigenous group in the region—this settlement was established as a typical colonial-period town: a grid layout centered around the main plaza, flanked by government buildings and the church.

As early as 1640, the existence of an indigenous community in the area is mentioned, and it was then that the Bishop of Durango considered the mission to have enough neophytes and resources to be established as a parish. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, founder of the Third Franciscan Order for women, was chosen as the patron saint, and her feast has been celebrated on November 19 ever since.

However, the mission was not fully established until 1650, and just a few years later, in 1652, it was devastated by the rebellion led by the indigenous leader Teporaca, who swept through the region and set fire to the church. According to the chronicler José de Arlegui, the mission was not rebuilt until 1668, marking a new beginning for Santa Isabel.

Over time, the settlement became part of the Corregimiento of Chihuahua in 1718, and its proximity to the mines of San Felipe del Real (today Ciudad Chihuahua) led many of its inhabitants to be sent to work forcibly on the town’s projects. By the mid-18th century, the indigenous population had declined considerably, to the point that neighboring haciendas, such as Santa Ana and La Baeza, had to hire workers from other regions.

In 1752, the mission was secularized, and by 1798, only five indigenous families were recorded in the area. Since then, Santa Isabel functioned as a parish dependent on the Diocese of Durango. The current church, located on the original site of the old mission, was completely remodeled in 1845. It still preserves its axe-hewn timber structure and is divided into three naves by semicircular arches. The site of the former convent now houses a school, and the atrium—which also served as a cemetery—has been transformed into a public plaza.

Santa Isabel is also a spiritual landmark for the state of Chihuahua, as in 1937 its parish priest, Pedro de Jesús Maldonado, was brutally beaten by municipal authorities in the town hall building, dying on February 11 from his injuries. A victim of religious persecution, Maldonado was beatified in 1992 and canonized in 2000, becoming the only saint native to the state.