The very core of Mexico City is a sight to behold. The Plaza de la Constitución, more commonly know as the Zócalo, is one of the largest urban plazas in the world, the political, commercial and religious center of the city since Aztec times. The square is surrounded by governmental buildings, including the Palacio Nacional, which covers the entire East side of the plaza. Once the location of Montezuma’s place, it now houses the president’s office.

The plaza offers its best view, including all the construction, from above – seen here from the terrace of the Hotel Majestic, a good place for breakfast or drinks if faded glamour is your thing. Historical photographs adorn the walls there, showing how much or how little, as a matter of fact, has changed.

You can hear the chanting of demonstrators faintly in the distance. The Zócalo is frequent goal of political demonstrations in front of the government buildings. Last week it was the Electrician’s union, accompanied by plenty of police.

The North side of the square is occupied by the Cathedral Metropolitana, a monstrous building of baroque splendor, started in 1573 with stones from the Aztec Temple Major.

The main seat of Mexican Catholicism is oppressively huge (109m long, 59m wide and 65m high) and, inside, a vision of gold on gold. I counted 16 chapels devoted to different saints. One can only imagine what the overwhelming sensory experience must have been for poor peasants and merchants coming into this church, navigating through the vastness of the architecture surrounding them. Every stone breathes power, every gold leaf emanates seduction and the promise of a (better) after-life hangs in the air just like the smell of frankincense coming from the thuribles. No coincidence, surely, that the altar that you see first after entering is called the Altar of Forgiveness and the other one is called the Altar of Kings (nicknamed the golden cave….).

You can buy trinkets that presumably as token of appreciations or pleas for added assistance.

The cathedral and surrounding buildings were badly damaged in the 1985 earthquake, but are now partially restored.

The church has, of course, meddled in politics, but people have also brought politics to the church. What was the “Leftist and gay mafia” thinking??? http://catholicmonitor.blogspot.com/2007/12/leftist-and-gay-mafia-vanguard-attack.html

 

Maintenance work extends to halos…..

I was unable to catch visually how crooked the church is due to the slow sinking into the unstable lake bed. When 20 million people draw water, the water table sinks dragging the buildings above with it; unfortunately the cathedral is sinking unevenly, and major efforts to stabilize it are underway by filling underground shafts with concrete which has to some extent corrected the tilting of the towers.

I did, however, get to photograph an impressive public art installation right in front of the Sacristy. Mascaró’s work was a breath of fresh air after the Baroque, Renaissance and Neo-classical mix next to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, of course, vendors are everywhere, as are unionized organ grinders whose organs came from Berlin of all places, sent in the 19th century by the German government as a gift to strong-man ruler Porfirio Diaz.

 

Close by are two sugary concoctions: the Palacio de Bellas Artes, which looks like a wedding cake (and was one of Maria Callas’ favorite stages,)

and the Pasteleria Ideal which offers wedding cakes – and a surreal assortment of any other cake or pastry imaginable, across two floors, several rooms each.

Snack, anyone?