Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral: Spanish Crown’s Domination (1656-1813)

Architectural and Symbolic Changes Over Time

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico in Mexico City, begun being built in the 16^th century by Claudio De Arciniega and was completed in the early 19^th century. It presented a mixture of the Renaissance and Neoclassical architectural styles with extraordinary fragments of Baroque decoration applied on the surface. ¹ Not only is it Mexico City’s oldest and largest cathedral in all of Latin America but it holds a very high symbolic value. It is considerably the most important political and religious building in Mexico as a testament to its colonial history and has also been the scene of several protests. Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral acts as a symbol of the Spanish crown’s domination over its new colonies and tells the story of how they destroyed symbols of indigenous religions and replaced them with traditional Catholic imagery through forced conversion, destruction, and violence to subjugate the native people. To this day, it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico and stands as an active place of worship for Mexicans. ²

_{¹Puzrin, Alexander M. “Ch. 2 Interaction between Neighbouring Structures: Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico.” Essay. In Geomechanics of Failures, 4–22. Springer, 2014.}

^{2History.com Editors. “History of Mexico.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, November 9, 2009. https://www.history.com/topics/mexico/history-of-mexico.}

The Spanish Conquest

When the Spaniards conquered the City of Mexico, they decided to build a church to show power over the newly conquered region. The Metropolitan Cathedral was built on part of the land covered originally by the Aztec Ceremonial Precinct. Historical records indicate that the Cathedral was built over the remains of an ancient Aztec temple as seen in Figure 3. The temple was destroyed by Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés in 1521, after Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, fell. ³ It was built as a symbol of the Spanish crown’s domination over its new colonies in the Americas and it showed the power of the Roman Catholic Church over pagan Aztec rituals.

^{3Shelley Efraín Ovando, and Enrique Santoyo. “Description of Foundations, General Structural Characteristics .” Essay. In Correction of Differential Settlements in Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral and Sagrario Church, 16–21. Boca Raton ; London ; New York ; Leiden: CRC Press, Taylor et Francis Group, 2020.}

Symbolic changes  

As a consequence of the Catholic church influence in public life, the site is intertwined with events of historical significance for the societies of New Spain and independent Mexico. A few include the coronation of Agustín de Iturbide and Ana María Huarte as emperors of Mexico by the President of Congress, burial of several heroes of independence such as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and José María Morelos y Pavón, the disputes between liberals and conservatives caused by the separation of the church and the state in the Reformation, the closing of the property in the days of the Cristero War, the bicentennial celebrations of independence, and among others. ⁴ Throughout all these events the Cathedral had created a different meaning and environment whether it be protests, coronations, celebrations etc. This juxtaposition of colonial wealth against the destruction of indigenous culture is emblematic of the tensions of the colonial period. However, both the Catholic role in Mexico and the practices of indigenous people have developed and changed over time.

^{4 “The Independence of Latin America.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed February 16, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/place/Latin-America/The-independence-of-Latin-America.}

Present Day

With Mexico’s president still insisting on Spain’s apology and calling for “reconciliation” with the Spanish over the conquest, it will continue to be present in modern-day Mexico. In 2019, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had publicly asked the Spanish crown to apologize for atrocities against native people. ⁵ The cathedral still offers daily Mass as well as baptisms, first communions, and confessions. You can also witness the beauty of the ancient structure with a clock tower, bell towers, a large dome on the exterior and high ceilings and walls covered with murals, and 16 unique chapels open for prayer with elaborately decorated altars dedicated to various saints on the interior. Outside of the Metropolitan Cathedral, you are able to see concheros (Aztec dancers) performing in traditional dresses and carrying conchas (Spanish guitars) in the plaza. Their dance evolved during colonization to preserve and celebrate indigenous traditions and is now intended to honor God and connect with the cosmos.⁶

^{5 Silva, Cynthia. “Mexico Wants Catholic Church to Apologize for ‘Offensive Atrocities’ against Indigenous.” NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal News Group, October 12, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/mexico-wants-catholic-church-apologize-offensive-atrocities-against-indigenous-n1243006.}

^{6 Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. “Mexican Catholicism: Conquest, Faith, and Resistance.” Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Accessed February 16, 2021. https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/mexican-catholicism-conquest-faith-and-resistance.}

Offerings

Through the cultural development of the area, archaeological evidence has contributed into the correction of the Metropolitan Cathedral. Located inside and out of the remains of Aztec buildings, more than twenty offerings were found, in stone or wooden boxes, on top and under floors and pavements. Some of them contained only human bones and others had miscellaneous objects. They were found under the Metropolitan Cathedral unveiling knowledge of the Aztec civilization. ¹ It shows the importance of objects and how it can have a new storyline written for Aztecs. Ovando states in his book that these objects found were the main contribution to the knowledge of the Aztec civilization and that it uncovered many deep-rooted cultural formations that had been lost in history. ⁷ It emphasis the importance of objects and what they symbolize without colonizers interpretations and bias.

^{7Shelley Efraín Ovando, and Enrique Santoyo. “Archaeological aspects .” Essay. In Correction of Differential Settlements in Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral and Sagrario Church, 81-98. Boca Raton ; London ; New York ; Leiden: CRC Press, Taylor et Francis Group, 2020.}

Conclusion

For centuries, Spanish testimony portrayed the Aztecs and other Indigenous groups in the Americas as uncivilized and has yet to apologize for the atrocities against native people. Spaniards tried to not only justify the conquest and colonization of something that wasn’t rightfully theirs to begin with, but also any acts of violence that subsequently emerged back then. Misunderstanding and misrepresentation of something like Aztec civilization today can make it easier for us to misunderstand and misrepresent Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Upon reflecting on the extensive research, I did on the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, it is evident there is a lack of acknowledgement towards the communities that were heavily impacted by colonization. Much like the readings we had on empire’s ordered garden and settler colonialism, we are reminded of the systemic violence rooted behind buildings and the very spaces we are inhabiting today. When experiencing and observing the world around us, we must acknowledge these violent histories and the disposition of indigenous lands that made way for the beautiful buildings we promenade on. It is easy for us as modern-day citizens to live day to day without the knowledge of the oppressed, and to ignore the histories of the ground and while it is almost impossible to repay indigenous communities architecture can play an essential role in providing acknowledgement as well as education on the matter. The existence of these communities can provide the perseverance and strength to fight back against injustices brought to their people.

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Bibliography

Alejandro Ramos Kittrell Jesús. “The Economics of Ritual and Ceremony: Impact on Religious Practices….” Essay. In Dynamics of Ritual and Ceremony at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico, 1700-1750, 136–205, 2006.

Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. “Mexican Catholicism: Conquest, Faith, and Resistance.” Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Accessed February 16, 2021. https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/mexican-catholicism-conquest-faith-and-resistance.

 Ovando-Shelley, Efraín, Enrique Santoyo-Villa, and Julio Hernández. 04/02/2016. “Mexico City’s Metropolitan                  Cathedral and Sagrario Church 13 Years After Underexcavation and Soil Hardening.” International      Journal of Architectural Heritage 10 (2-3): 346-359. doi:10.1080/15583058.2015.1113331.

Puzrin, Alexander M. “Ch. 2 Interaction between Neighbouring Structures: Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico.” Essay. In Geomechanics of Failures, 4–22. Springer, 2014.

Shelley Efraín Ovando, and Enrique Santoyo. “Correction of Differential Settlements in Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral and Sagrario Church”, Boca Raton ; London ; New York ; Leiden: CRC Press, Taylor et Francis Group, 2020.

Silva, Cynthia. “Mexico Wants Catholic Church to Apologize for ‘Offensive Atrocities’ against Indigenous.” NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal News Group, October 12, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/mexico-wants-catholic-church-apologize-offensive-atrocities-against-indigenous-n1243006.

“The Independence of Latin America.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed February 16, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/place/Latin-America/The-independence-of-Latin-America.

Images

Fig 1: Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed February 16, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/place/Metropolitan-Cathedral-Mexico-City-Mexico.

Fig. 2: Fredrick, James. “500 Years Later, The Spanish Conquest Of Mexico Is Still Being Debated.” NPR. NPR, November 10, 2019. https://www.npr.org/2019/11/10/777220132/500-years-later-the-spanish-conquest-of-mexico-is-still-being-debated.

Fig. 3: Puzrin, Alexander M. “Ch. 2 Interaction between Neighbouring Structures: Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico.” Essay. In Geomechanics of Failures, 4–22. Springer, 2014.

Fig. 4: “The Distinct Style of Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral – Google Arts & Culture.” Google. Google. Accessed February 16, 2021. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-distinct-style-of-mexico-city-metropolitan-cathedral/1gUx77bquWiQcA.

Fig. 5: Shelley Efraín Ovando, and Enrique Santoyo. “Archaeological aspects .” Essay. In Correction of Differential Settlements in Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral and Sagrario Church, 81. Boca Raton ; London ; New York ; Leiden: CRC Press, Taylor et Francis Group, 2020.