Tancoyol is one of the last of the Sierra Gorda missions to be built, and it is perhaps the one that feels most remote. The church of Nuestra Señora de la Luz stands in a small village in the valley of the Santa María river, in the north of Querétaro, with a tall, intricate facade covered with plaster figures, flowers and symbols, a combination of European baroque and the imagination of the Pame people who helped to build it. UNESCO listed the five Sierra Gorda missions together in 2003, and Tancoyol is the quietest of them.
The country around is lush and humid, a contrast with the dry plateau farther south, and it is part of the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, with a wide range of habitats from cactus scrub to cloud forest. Orchards of citrus, coffee and avocado grow in the valleys, and the villages are small and quiet, with plazas where people gather in the evening. The nearest towns, Landa de Matamoros and Purísima de Arista, are small, and the larger town of Jalpan is a good half-hour's ride away.
The ride to Tancoyol is part of the attraction. The roads leave Highway 120 and wind through the hills with tight bends, steep gradients and occasional landslide damage, and some sections of road are narrow and rough, with livestock and children walking in the middle. It is slow riding, with fog and heavy rain possible in the summer, and the best time is the dry season, from November to April. Early starts help, because the light is better and the mountain roads are quieter.
There is little in the way of services in the villages, so fuel at Jalpan, about twenty-five kilometres away, is the sensible choice, and it is worth carrying water and a snack. Local people are friendly and will happily direct you, and in the evenings it is possible to find simple meals in a village kitchen, perhaps with fresh tortillas and beans. The church is still in use, so visits are best outside service times and with a quiet manner.