It took 36 years to build, featuring a classic Mexican Baroque style.

The church has a Latin cross-shaped floor plan, and the transept is covered by a dome. The main altar displays three niches where the prophet Elijah and Saint Teresa of Ávila can be seen, flanking the image of Our Lady of El Carmen.

The building has witnessed the history of Tehuacán and has had various uses throughout history, such as a hospital, jail, train station, barracks, and currently houses the Complex Culture of El Carmen, which includes the Municipal Library, the Courtyard of Columns, the Church, the Ecological Park, and the Museums of the Tehuacán Valley and Mineralogy.