Templo del Señor de los Rayos (Temple of the Lord of the Rays)

Next to the Cemetery of Los Ángeles and La Cruz is the Temple del Señor de los Rayos (Temple of the Lord of the Rays). The history of the building is as unusual as its facade.

Inside the temple is a copy of an image of the “Lord of the Rays,” which was placed in one of the cemetery’s crypts. The original image is considered miraculous because it was once struck by lightning but somehow remained undamaged. Though the version placed in the Aguascalientes cemetery is a replica, people still visited it to worship and ask for divine favors.

Because so many people visited the crypt, it was converted into a chapel, and then a church. The sanctuary was so beloved that in 1956, the community decided to transform it into a temple built in a strikingly modern style that would continue to house the popular painting.  

On the facade of the church, a “V” is drawn that represents the victory of Christ over death. You’ll notice Jesus’s punctured hands and feet seeming to float in the air. An all-seeing eye gazes from the top of the structure, with long beams poking above it to represent a crown of thorns. To the side of this assortment is a bleeding heart backdropped by a cross.