Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe of San Diego in San Francisco (San Diego)

It is worth noting that by the last quarter of the 18th century, the city of Valladolid was surrounded by temples dedicated to patron saints: to the north, Santa María de los Urdiales, to the south, Santa Catarina Mártir, to the west, Our Lady of Mercy, and to the east, Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The temple's transept and presbytery were enlarged in 1777, and in October 1785 it underwent a restoration process led by Fray Antonio de San Miguel. In 1807, the atrium wall was built, which surrounded the northern perimeter of the temple and the cemetery located to the west. At that time, there was no road between the cemetery and the temple, which is currently Tata Vasco.

By September 1821 the main altar was built.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the hygienist movement and the need for cemeteries to be located outside the urban area of ​​the city led to the closure of the cemetery in front of the temple, which was created in 1807 and closed in 1859. In 1873 the wall of the atrium was demolished and in its place were placed stone posts joined with iron chains. This decoration still exists in the small square that the former cemetery has become.

The most significant changes in the shape of the temple occurred in the 20th century: from 1907 to 1913 its interior was decorated with baked and polychrome clay, forming sculptures in the shape of flowers, the work of the brilliant craftsman Joaquín Orta; in 1955 a wooden shelf with 4 columns was built, a crown of wood, plaster and clay, on the occasion of the coronation of the Holy Virgin of Guadalupe; in 1975 part of its interior decoration was remodeled, and the murals that represented the apparitions of the Virgin were replaced by murals (work of Pedro Cruz) depicting the arrival and works of the Franciscan brothers, who since 1964 have been assigned the Sanctuary (since 1925 it was administered by the secular clergy).

In 1989, the wooden, plaster and clay ledge was replaced with other materials. Today, the temple has a two-body tower with a pyramidal front, a baroque-style dome and one of the most beautiful decorations in Michoacán. On its altar, there are Saint Francis and Saint Diego, as well as an authorized copy of the Ayate de Juan Diego. On its northern side there is a small chapel that has been decorated with mural paintings in the last five years.

Of note is the octagonal cross in the garden to the north of the temple, which, according to some authors, is the cross that was located in the municipal pantheon of Morelia, and to which those condemned to death by firing squad were tied.

The former convent was started in 1761, completed in 1769 and inaugurated that same year. On July 12, 1859, the religious were expelled and the convent fell into ruin.

Later, the civil hospital was located in the building, and during the second half of the 19th century it had several uses, such as the headquarters of the Michoacán artisan and industrial exhibition, the Academia de Niñas (see lithographs on this subject), and until the first half of the 20th century it continued to change uses, until in 1967 the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences of the Michoacana University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo was located here, for which reason it was adapted to fulfill that function.