Santo Domingo Convent Reopens After Restoration in Chiapas, Mexico EFE
go to original October 31, 2012

Facade of a regional museum, Museo De los Altos, San Cristobal De Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. (visualphotos.com)

The old Santo Domingo Convent in San Cristobal de Las Casas, a city in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, is being inaugurated after undergoing extensive restoration in one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the National Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH.

Restoration of the building, which was constructed in 1580 by the Dominican order, took two years and cost more than 60 million pesos ($4.5 million).

The building, which was opened to reporters for a tour on Tuesday, houses the Los Altos de Chiapas Museum and the Maya World Textile Center.

The museum will have a permanent exhibit of 210 archaeological, colonial and 19th century pieces that tell the history of Chiapas, INAH national museums and exhibitions coordinator Miguel Baez said.

One of the pieces dates back to 3,000 B.C. and was found in a dig in the area.

The museum will also have arrowheads that are between 8,000 and 12,000 years old on display.

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