CATEDRAL
On January 24th, 1557 the Viceroy Martín Enríquez (1562-80) designated Juan de Cigorondo, a neighbor of México for worker and Francisco Becerra was appointed architect. The design was submitted to the Dean and Cathedral Chapter on November 11th 1557. The
construction of the cathedral began in November 1575, but was
interrupted in 1626. In 1634 Juan Gómez de Trasmonte modified the
design and construction was restarted in 1640 when Bishop Juan de
Palafox was ordered by the King Philip III to finish it. It was mostly completed eight years after. On April 18, 1649, the Cathedral was consecrated in honor of the Virgin Mary.
It was not entirely completed until 1690. The front façade was built out of a black canther, and it has two towers, the tallest in Mexico, one
of which has no bells. According to legend, an underground river passes
under that tower and if bells were placed in it, the tower would
collapse.
Open everyday from 10:30 to 12:30 and 16:15 to 18:00.
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BIBLIOTECA PALAFOXIANA
The Biblioteca Palafoxiana owes its name and foundation to Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, bishop of Puebla. He was a lover of books, and is quoted as having said,
He who succeeds without books is in an inconsolable darkness, on a mountain without company, on a path without a crosier, in darkness without a guide.
On 5 September 1646, Palafox y Mendoza donated 5,000 of
his own items to the Colegio de San Juan—which was founded by him—on
the condition that they be made available to the general public. He
wrote that "it is very useful and convenient that there should be in
this city and kingdom a public library, where all sorts of people will
be able to study as they wish".
More than a century later, Francisco Fabián y Fuero ordered
the construction of the premises which currently house the Biblioteca
Palafoxiana. He donated his own collection, and the collections of the
bishops Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz and Francisco Pablo Vázquez and
the dean of the Francisco Irigoyen Cathedral were gradually added, as
were volumes from Pueblan religious schools and individuals. Books confiscated from Jesuits upon their expulsion in 1767 were also added.
The library was finished in 1773, consisting of a 43-meter-long vaulted hall on the Colegio's second floor. Two levels of bookshelves were built, and a retablo of the Madonna of Trapani by Nino Pisano was acquired. By the mid-19th century, the size of the collection necessitated a third level of bookshelves.
Open from tuesday to sunday from 10:00 to 16:30.
CAPILLA DEL ROSARIO
It
is located in the Church of Santo Domingo. The Chapel was built between
1650 and 1690 and was the first to be dedicated to the Our Lady of the Rosary.
The chapel is filled with symbolism, as it is filled with images and
elements which are representative of the Baroque of New Spain. This
symbolism is principally meant to aid with the evangelization process.
The chapel contains three themes important to the Church, the mysteries
of the rosary, the virtues associated with it and the Virgin of the
Rosary herself. The cupola is in the shape of the crown of the Virgin Mary.
The chapel is decorated with sculpted plaster that has been gilded done
by local artists. There are also six paintings done by José Rodriguez
Carnero as well as paintings by the altar depicting the life of the
Virgin.
CHOLULA
Cholula is most famous as the site of the Great Pyramid of Cholula,
the largest man-made monument by volume in the world. The Great Pyramid
of Cholula is still used because the Spanish built a church atop it, a
symbol of the religious conquest of Mexico. That makes it not just the
largest pyramid in the world but also the oldest continuously occupied
building in North America. Note that the Great Wall of China was designed as a fortification and not as a monument.
In
the twentieth century, the temple was tunneled by archaeologists. Four
major and nine minor construction stages were revealed. These tunnels
remain open to visitors and are stable because of the adobe bricks that
were used to build the pyramid. When the pyramid was originally built
in the 300 BCE, there were insects painted in black, red, and yellow on
it.
MORE INFO
All about Puebla:
http://www.allaboutpuebla.com
Que Puebla, Turismo en Movimiento:
http://www.quepuebla.com
Siente México:
http://www.sientemexico.com.mx
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