<p>In this article, we seek to understand how the sixteenth-century church in the town of San Miguel Xaltocan was interpreted and understood by the town’s Indigenous inhabitants by integrating archaeological, architectural, and historical evidence. We ask how this space was ascribed meaning by Xaltocan’s inhabitants and what can we learn about the relationship between villagers and the church in the colonial period. In the early sixteenth century, pre-Hispanic temples and religious architecture were systematically demolished and replaced with stone churches, usually recycling the stone from the demolished pre-Hispanic temple, which is often interpreted as a continued form of subjugation and domination. However, our understandings of religious conversion and evangelization in Mexico derive largely from historical documents from urban areas. Xaltocan, located in the northern Basin of Mexico, was once a powerful regional center in the Postclassic Period, but it declined in importance following its incorporation into the Mexica (Aztec) Empire. During the colonial period, it was a rural town focused on fishing and salt making and was largely outside of direct Spanish observation. The study of material culture in conjunction with church inscriptions and historical evidence from Xaltocan can offer an alternate narrative by providing insight into Indigenous activities, perspectives, and strategies in the face of oppressive domination in a small community.</p>