Basilica and Convent of San Francisco

The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco dominates its surroundings with a massive, sweeping stone atrium and a curved staircase that rises directly from the plaza below. This site, founded in fifteen thirty-five, stands as the largest colonial architectural complex in any historic center across South America. Its sprawling grounds once encompassed orchards, schools, and even a cemetery, earning it the nickname, the Escorial of the New World.