Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
Iglesia de San Francisco
was built between 1540 and 1581 to minister to the growing
indigenous population of the newly founded city, and remains the most popular church with
Sucre's Quechua-speaking population - modern signs on the walls warning against the use
of holy water in witchcraft and magic reveal that, centuries later, the priests here still face an
uphill struggle against deeply entrenched pre-Christian practices. The entrance to the church
is flanked by two square towers, one of which houses the
Campana de la Libertad
, the bell
that sounded the call to arms at the start of the pro-independence uprising in 1809. The interi-
or boasts splendid gilded Baroque altarpieces and an elaborate panelled
mudéjar
ceiling.
Iglesia de San Miguel
Half a block northwest of Plaza 25 de Mayo along Calle Arenales • Open early for Mass most mornings • Free
The modest whitewashed Baroque facade of the
Iglesia de San Miguel
, completed in 1621,
conceals one of the most lavish church interiors in Sucre, with glorious carved Baroque al-
tarpieces covered in
gold leaf
and an exquisite panelled
mudéjar
ceiling of intricate inter-
locking geometric shapes.
Iglesia de Santa Mónica
Half a block on from the Iglesia de San Miguel, on the corner of calles Arenales and Junín • Free
The
Iglesia de Santa Mónica
, founded in 1547, boasts an extravagant stone portico that
is the finest example of the
mestizo-Baroque
style in Sucre, carved with palm trees and
floral designs, spiralled columns, and pillars supported by human figures who look like pre-
Columbian idols; sadly, the interior is closed to the public.
Universidad de San Francisco Xavier
Just southwest of the Iglesia Santa Mónica on Junín • Free
The main entrance to the
University
(or the Universidad Mayor Real y Pontificia de San
Francisco Xavier, to give it its full title) is on Junín. The university was originally founded by
the Jesuits in 1624, predating Harvard in the US, and was a major seat of learning throughout
the colonial period as well as an important centre of liberal thought in the early nineteenth
century. Crucial ideas developed here, particularly the so-called
Silogismo altoperuano
- the
argument that the loyalty of the colonies was owed to the personage of the king and not to
the Spanish government, and that sovereignty therefore reverted to the colonies once King
Fernando VII was forced to abdicate by Napoleon - and played a key role in the declaration
ofindependence fromSpainin1809.Theuniversityisstillcentraltothecity'ssocial,cultural
and economic life, and is worth visiting for a look inside the
Facultad de Derecho
at Junín
652, which has the biggest colonial courtyard in Sucre.
Plaza de la Libertad
Three blocks northwest of Plaza 25 de Mayo on Calle Arenales
