Before the construction of the Cathedral the inhabitants built two parishes, the first one at the end of 1500 and the second one in the middle of 1600, however, they were destroyed because they did not comply with the characteristics and did not give the proper maintenance, having as a result parishes in ruins. The third construction was the one that has been preserved until now.
Pope Pius IX in 1862 granted the rank of Cathedral, by 1904 it was declared a Monument of the Jubilee Year and in 1959 Pope John raised the temple to the Basilica.
It is a building typical of the New Spanish Baroque art that brings beauty to the city made up of buildings of pink quarry. Its construction lasted approximately twenty-one years by the miners in the seventeenth century and was dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, is now the main temple of the diocese of Zacatecas.
Every visitor has different opinions about the type of art you will find inside the Cathedral, as some define it as Churrigueresque Baroque, others as Exuberant Baroque but definitely this Baroque art is unique to Zacatecas.
The Cathedral Basilica was built by donations from the miners, and has a surface area of 2,000 m2 and 45 mts. of height, it has 3 naves and a sacristy, it is oriented from east to west, we can appreciate three facades. The main or cover of the Glory, dedicated to the Eucharist and symbolizes the Last Supper, the one on the south side dedicated to the Virgin of patronage and the one on the north side is dedicated to the passion of Christ.
In the main cover we can see 6 columns where the twelve apostles and Jesus are distributed, in the upper part is God the Father.
On the south facade was built the Plaza Mayor which allows you to reach the market González Ortega
The north façade shows the Christ of the water carriers and on the sides the Virgin and Saint John, then the image of Christ of the water carriers and at the top is God the Father, with two angels holding the veil of Veronica with the face of Jesus. We find a small square called the square of the pyramid.
On the sides of the main façade there are two towers, one of which has a bell made of jewels and coins donated by the devotees.
The interior maintains the same magnificence as the altarpiece weighs around twenty tons made of Dutch birch, has ten religious images and in the upper part in the middle of the center the Virgin of the Assumption, made of 24-carat gold leaf extracted from the Zacatecano desert. The artist Javier Marín captured the neoclassical art behind the main altar.
Location: Calle Hidalgo esq. Tacubaya, Centro, Zacatecas, Zacatecas, C.P. 98000.
Tel:01 (492) 922 0490
Schedules:
Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 20:30 hrs.
Saturday from 07:00 to 21:00 hrs.
Sunday: 06:00 to 21:00 hrs.
Cost: Free admission