Boca Iglesia ruins: where all began

The Boca Iglesia ruins are a significant location for Christianity in Latin America, near Cabo Catoche. On the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo, just where the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico meet. As the region’s first Catholic church, it is a living monument to one of the most important cultural crashes in history.

Boca Iglesia ruins: What to expect

The church is supported by a hill of rocks that gives the impression that it is watching the area from its highest point. There are three niches here where there possibly were three virgins made of shells and stones. These are similar to those that are found throughout the island. The bells were probably looted at some point, but no one has any information on how it happened. There is a little cemetery there as well, but weeds and plants cover it.

A little history

The Spanish missionaries of the Franciscan orders built one of the first churches in all of America. Using the rocks from the Mayan structures on the site to build a convent house and a Franciscan style church. From afar, you can see the bell tower. Mayan Indians continued the construction with platforms and rooms of that time. They probably used Pre-Hispanic pyramidal vestiges.

The interior of the church is really strange, with walls that are almost a meter thick. It also has window frames made of wood from that era that have aged, decayed, and turned powdery, and a swarm of bats. Despite being in an isolated area, it was deliberately constructed at that time since it was connected to surrounding towns such as Leona Vicario, which is 50 minutes from Cancun.

How to get there

The Boca Iglesia ruins are one of the most important historical buildings in the region and in the country; although they are located in a space of difficult access and can only be reached by boat, there are people who can give a tour.

The road to get to the Boca Iglesia ruins is very complicated. It can only be reached by boat. Getting there is a “sacrifice” that is well worth it because it contains a lot of history.

You can rent a skippered boat for a day trip to this interesting place, either departing from Holbox or Cancun.