The greatest work of colonial architecture on the American continent, Mexico City’s metropolitan cathedral stands majestically in the capital’s main square as the largest cathedral in Latin America and one of the most emblematic temples of Christianity in the world. The history of the metropolitan cathedral is also the history of the viceregal Mexico and a story in stone of its different architectural styles. Built over three centuries, in this work we can recognize Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical elements that intertwine harmoniously to form a work of great cultural and spatial richness unique in its kind. This fascinating temple has a Latin cross floor plan with three main doors to the capital’s main square, the center being a jubilee door that is only opened on special occasions. The route takes place through an ambulatory that surrounds the choir and the parishioners’ area, around which 14 chapels with different titles are arranged around the perimeter, as well as the main altars. One of the most outstanding elements of the interior is the choir, richly decorated in baroque style, with two monumental organs and furniture from the Asian colonies of the Spanish Empire, with the most outstanding being the masonry and the lectern, from Macao and the Philippines respectively. On the east side of the cathedral is the metropolitan tabernacle, probably the best executed churrigueresque façade in Latin America, which houses an austere interior that serves as a parish church for different celebrations.
Schedule: Monday to Sunday from 10:30 to 16:00 hrs.
Location: Plaza de la Constitución S/N, Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06000 Mexico City.
Contact: Tel. 01 55 41 41 65 40 40 13