The Mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe is among the oldest surviving structures in northern Mexico. The original mission was founded in 1659 by Franciscan friar García de San Francisco as part of the Spanish colonization of the upper Rio Grande. The thick adobe walls, the low arches, and the simple altar have changed remarkably little over three and a half centuries.
The mission sits adjacent to the cathedral and is often overlooked by visitors who don't know to look for it. It remains an active place of worship. The interior is austere by colonial church standards — whitewashed walls, wooden beams, a carved retablo behind the altar — which only adds to its authenticity. The contrast between this 17th-century structure and the modern city pressing around it is striking.