
The Cathedral as seen from 5 de Febrero Street
The 'Catedral Metropolitana' in
Mexico City is one of the largest
cathedrals in the Western Hemisphere. It was constructed in the
Spanish Baroque style of architecture and includes a pair of 64-meter neoclassical towers which hold 18 bells.
The church is the cathedral of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. It is located on
Mexico City's central square, the
Zócalo (officially Constitution Square).
After the
Spanish conquest of the
Aztec city of
Tenochtitlan,
Hernan Cortés began the construction of a Catholic church. This church was demolished circa
1573 and a new cathedral was built on the same place. A side chapel, the Sagrario Metropolitano (1749-69), is the greatest triumph of the Mexican
Churrigueresque style. The new cathedral was consecrated in
1667, but the final elements — bell towers and central dome designed by the Spanish neoclassical architect
Manuel Tolsá — were finished in
1813.
The soft clay subsoil beneath Mexico City, which was originally built on a lake bed, and the removal of water from the soil has caused the sinking of many of the buildings in Mexico City's historic centre. Underground tunnels to stabilize the cathedral have prevented its collapse and have stabilized the uneven inclination of its sinking.
External links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-rzca0AUQE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB75Q80PWVk
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