Santa Prisca de Taxco
Santa Prisca de Taxco
4.5
About
This 18th-century church, built with funds provided by silver tycoon José de la Borda, is the centerpiece of the town's main square.
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4.5
1,128 reviews
Excellent
817
Very good
273
Average
29
Poor
6
Terrible
3
Javier G
Royal Palm Beach, FL64 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
This church has a lot of history, the local guides will tel it to you, the art work is very impressive. The gold laminate finish was being worked on while we were there and they were making a great job bringing out the splendor of the art work. Also you have everything close by, wether you want to eat or buy souvenirs, you’re sure to find them at the zocalo.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine F
1 contribution
June 2023 • Solo
Taxco was definitely worth the visit. Enjoyed every minute of this beautiful place. A must visit town. The reason for a bad rating: Excellence Mexico Tours booked through Trip Advisor was positively hopeless. We booked an English tour but the guide’s knowledge of the language was so poor that the tour was given in Spanish! The driver got into a serious confrontation was a passerby and lashed out in a barrage of foul language. On the funny side, our guide slept most of the way to Taxco and snored all the way back to Mexico City. My advice, research the company before booking. I don’t feel Trip Advisor should align with companies that negatively effect their reputation. This is the first time I have given a bad report in all my travels, but I felt it incumbent on me to do so.
Written 30 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kellieann2015
Parkersburg, WV3 contributions
We took a "tour" out of Acapulco, well actually a van ride with 3 other couples, that led us to Taxco and Cuernavaca. It was quite a drive but well worth it. The silver shops were great, and the Santa Prisca Church was amazing. It is truly an incredible surprise. The paintings inside rival anything you'll see in Europe. There are some very surprising and amazing illusions that the architects came up with. It's worth the scenic drive.
Written 22 April 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ellie B
Mashpee, MA319 contributions
Feb 2014 • Couples
We were pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous this church is! All we could say when we entered was a quiet WOW! All the altars are 18 or 24 carat gold and the statues and carvings are exceptional. An enterprising man offered us a tour and it was worth it. All for a modest tip.
Written 5 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LuvToTravelAround
San Fernando, CA490 contributions
Dec 2019
Our tour guide who said he is indigenous to the Taxco area gave us a history lesson on the amount of lives lost in working to build this beautiful church. He said is was more like forced labor by the rich and powerful whose aim was to Christianize the natives in the area and for the rich to steal the natural resource (silver) that Taxco was famous for. He said today all the silver of Taxco has been mined and the jewelers import silver from Zacatecas to continue an age old Taxco traditional of jewelry making. Although we loved the Baroque style of the church we were happy to meet Andres who gave us a lost page of history lesson on Taxco and its precious church.
Written 4 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TrishDubs
Santa Barbara, CA373 contributions
Mar 2019 • Family
While baroque and beautiful on the outside, especially when lit up at night, Santa Prisca is actually a small-town church that has been faithfully serving local parishioners for generations, from birth to death. Step inside and sit down and pay your respects, regardless of faith.
Written 13 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marie5466
Guanajuato Municipality, Mexico1,151 contributions
Apr 2019 • Solo
Built over only seven or so years, the brief time it took to build this church explains its unity of style and its balance of forms. No money was spared, the best masons and artists of the time were hired.
Don Jose de la Borda (French) a local prosperous mine owner, had so much money and power when he decided to build this church that neither the church nor the government intervened with the design or with funds. Complete control of the projects rested in the hands of Don Jose.
Considered the best example of Mexican Baroque, it is unique in the fact that it is very narrow due to the lack of flat land in Taxco. For almost 50 years, it was the tallest (94.6 meters) building in Mexico.
Nine gold leafed altarpieces, a dome covered with colorful talavera tiles and a monumental organ (250 pipes and 1,000 voices) are all parts of what makes this place very exclusive and beautiful.
Don Jose de la Borda had an ulterior motive, that his son becomes the parish priest. What a way to get that to happen!
The latest earthquake damaged the church and it is still under repair so about ½ is not open to the public. My guide told me they expect to be done by September 2019! I would love to see the whole church. Let’s hope.
Don Jose de la Borda (French) a local prosperous mine owner, had so much money and power when he decided to build this church that neither the church nor the government intervened with the design or with funds. Complete control of the projects rested in the hands of Don Jose.
Considered the best example of Mexican Baroque, it is unique in the fact that it is very narrow due to the lack of flat land in Taxco. For almost 50 years, it was the tallest (94.6 meters) building in Mexico.
Nine gold leafed altarpieces, a dome covered with colorful talavera tiles and a monumental organ (250 pipes and 1,000 voices) are all parts of what makes this place very exclusive and beautiful.
Don Jose de la Borda had an ulterior motive, that his son becomes the parish priest. What a way to get that to happen!
The latest earthquake damaged the church and it is still under repair so about ½ is not open to the public. My guide told me they expect to be done by September 2019! I would love to see the whole church. Let’s hope.
Written 11 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GabeyC
Mexico City, Mexico18 contributions
We made a mini daytrip to Taxco - clearly our 1st stop was the cathedral. It is absolutely breathtaking inside and out. The only issue were the crowds - it was jam packed, but it being a Saturday normal I suppose. I would suggest taking the help from a guide so you can get the full description and explanation of the cathedral and art inside. We didn't and I have a feeling we missed out in a few details.
After Santa Prisca, we headed out to the saturday Silver Market, the prices were lower than downtown - (Though barely no room for bargaining I was surprised to find!) and the vendors will in fact tell you if the pieces are merely silver platted or actual silver (plus you can always look for the .925 mark) - we did find however that there are more specialised or "designer pieces" available in the workshops closer to the cathedral - much more expensive, but not to be found in the market at all. My only issue really was the amount of people trying to pull you from one place to another, since I assume they get a commission for people they take to X restaurant or silver workshop, they are everywhere and can be pretty insistent. Just say "no gracias!" And keep walking.
Still, all in all, Taxco has a charm beyond words - lose yourself in the narrow and frighteningly steep little cobbled rows, away from the crowds - never know what you might find!
After Santa Prisca, we headed out to the saturday Silver Market, the prices were lower than downtown - (Though barely no room for bargaining I was surprised to find!) and the vendors will in fact tell you if the pieces are merely silver platted or actual silver (plus you can always look for the .925 mark) - we did find however that there are more specialised or "designer pieces" available in the workshops closer to the cathedral - much more expensive, but not to be found in the market at all. My only issue really was the amount of people trying to pull you from one place to another, since I assume they get a commission for people they take to X restaurant or silver workshop, they are everywhere and can be pretty insistent. Just say "no gracias!" And keep walking.
Still, all in all, Taxco has a charm beyond words - lose yourself in the narrow and frighteningly steep little cobbled rows, away from the crowds - never know what you might find!
Written 1 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Camilarega
Mexico City, Mexico22 contributions
Apr 2014 • Family
Santa Prisca is a must-see in Taxco, the cathedral's inside is just beautiful, Taxco is a really small city, so if you are already there, you should consider visiting this cathedral.
Written 3 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Juan R
South Bend, IN10 contributions
Feb 2014 • Friends
Get amazed at the gold on the walls and the altars of this 16th century old church and understand the wealth of this country and the pillage that the Spanish conquerors did to Mexico and its indigenous people. An artistic jewel from the Churrigueresco (Baroque) style. Other than the insistence of services by the tour guys in the main square there Is nothing to dislike about this site
Written 12 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Buenas Tardes: me podrÃan indicar si hay horario especifico para visitar la iglesia y si hay que pagar algún tipo de entrada para ingresar?. Gracias
Written 25 August 2017
En cuanto al costo de entrada, no lo hay, pero puedes dejar una cooperación u ofrenda, siempre es bienvenido por las iglesias y sus párrocos para su mantenimiento y sus necesidades.
Written 28 August 2017
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