The icon of Taxco, Santa Prisca is one of Mexico’s most beautiful and striking pieces of baroque architecture. Its standout feature (best viewed side-on) is the contrast between its belfries, with their elaborate Churrigueresque facade, and the far more simple, constrained and elegant nave. The rose-colored stone used on the facade is extraordinarily beautiful in sunlight – look for the oval bas-relief depiction of Christ’s baptism above the doorway. Inside, the intricately sculpted, gold-covered altarpieces are equally fine Churrigueresque specimens.
Santa Prisca was a labor of love for town hero José de la Borda. The local Catholic hierarchy allowed the silver magnate to donate this church to Taxco on the condition that he mortgage his mansion and other assets to guarantee its completion. The project nearly bankrupted him, but the risk produced an extraordinary legacy. It was designed by Spanish architects Juan Caballero and Diego Durán, and was constructed between 1751 and 1758.
