The Convento de San José (also known as Las Madres) was the first convent founded by Teresa of Ávila when she began her reform of the Carmelite order in 1562. The original small building she rented and converted is preserved within the current complex. A small museum inside the convent holds personal objects that belonged to Teresa, including the drum she reportedly played while encouraging her nuns to dance, and one of the few surviving handwritten manuscripts in her own hand.
The convent is still an active community of Discalced Carmelite nuns who follow the reformed rule Teresa established. The church and museum are open for visits at limited hours; access to the museum requires purchasing a ticket at the entrance. It is less visited than the Convent of Santa Teresa on the birthplace site, which makes it a more intimate complement to that visit.