Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
18 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
20 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
22 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico Tepoztlán Latrine Poems at Museo de la Natividad
AO Edited

Latrine Poems at Museo de la Natividad

Historic poems about the noble act of defecating have been preserved on the wall of this old convent.

Tepoztlán, Mexico

Added By
Mario Yair T.S.
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Latrines.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Latrines.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Natividad convent.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Poems.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
The bathroom.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
The Pope leaves his chair.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

"No one can deny me, that in the world there is no pleasure, greater than eating, and evacuating with measure."

Almost completely lost to history, the inscriptions on the latrines of the former Convent of the Nativity in Tepoztlán, Mexico, provide a delightfully unexpected bit of literal toilet humor. 

Today, the former convent houses the Museo de la Natividad. As the historic building was being renovated, some graffiti was discovered on the walls of the latrines. But at first, no one could decipher it. 

Luckily, at the same time, Tepoztlán locals were being asked to participate in a "memory contest" to bring objects that could have meaning to the museum. Amazingly, one woman came forward with a piece of paper on which a relative had written the full texts of the latrine graffiti!

Despite what you might expect to find in an old church bathroom, the short texts were not prayers or religious allusions, but a series of bawdy poems written in 1840 by José Manuel de Mata, and then painted in the convent by José Donaciano in 1895. All of them are about going to the bathroom.

Each poem is now reproduced on museum plates in front of the latrine where they were found. Here are some examples:

"Si en comer eres decente, en vestir y en hablar,en el modo de evacuarno te muestres indecente."

("If in eating you are decent, in dress and talk, in evacuate mode, don't show yourself indecent.")

"De las materias fecalestodos hacemos morcilla,y cuando la gana pilladando al intestino tono,el Rey baja de su tronoy el Papa deja su silla"

("About fecal matter, we all make a jest,and when the time gain, giving the intestine tone,the King comes down from his throne, and the Pope leaves his chair.")

Although the convent is well known, among other things, for preserving its original Renaissance-era mural paintings, the poetry of the privy is a unique attraction that is all its own.

Related Tags

Poetry Bathrooms Churches Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

If you visit the convent, don't forget to also ask about the graffiti written by French soldiers, which was created several decades before the poems in the latrines.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Yucatan: Astronomy, Pyramids & Mayan Legends

Mayan legends, ancient craters, lost cities, and stunning constellations.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Mario Yair TS

Edited By

mikermnz, Monsieur Mictlan

  • mikermnz
  • Monsieur Mictlan

Published

September 23, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://archivo.eluniversal.com.mx/estilos/33686.html
Latrine Poems at Museo de la Natividad
19a Av. Ignacio Zaragoza
Tepoztlán, 62520
Mexico
18.986717, -99.09979
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Tubohotel

Tepoztlán, Mexico

miles away

El Tepozteco

Tepoztlán, Mexico

miles away

Camino Real Sumiya

Jiutepec, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tepoztlán

Tepoztlán

Mexico

Places 3

Nearby Places

Tubohotel

Tepoztlán, Mexico

miles away

El Tepozteco

Tepoztlán, Mexico

miles away

Camino Real Sumiya

Jiutepec, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tepoztlán

Tepoztlán

Mexico

Places 3

Related Stories and Lists

17 Places That Are Odes to Poetry

List

By Roxanne Hoorn

6 Old Latrines Worth a Visit, Even If You Can't Use Them

List

By Jessica Leigh Hester

Related Places

  • St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Hucknall.

    Hucknall, England

    Church of St. Mary Magdalene

    Lord Byron's embalmed body lies within this medieval church.

  • Dante’s Church.

    Florence, Italy

    Santa Margherita de' Cerchi

    Some say this medieval church is where the poet Dante married his wife and also met the love of his life.

  • Church of the Good Shepherd

    Lullington, England

    Lullington Church of the Good Shepherd

    This tiny church is one of England's smallest.

  • St Mary’s and All Saints Church, Dunsfold

    Dunsfold, England

    St Mary's and All Saints Church & Holy Well

    An ancient yew tree and holy well nestle beside a remarkable 13th-century church.

  • York, England

    'The Prick of Consciousness'

    A stained-glass window from the 15th century offers a vision of the end of the world.

  • Entrance of the church.

    Viana do Castelo, Portugal

    Santuário do Sagrado Coração de Jesus

    An icon of the city, this chapel features an amazing dome ceiling and offers panoramic views.

  • Chapel on the Dunes

    Port Aransas, Texas

    Chapel on the Dunes

    The oldest functional consecrated church on Mustang Island.

  • Mantua Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Pietro)

    Mantua, Italy

    Mantua Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Pietro)

    The seat of the Mantua bishop holds many secrets within its walls.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.