Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Mexico)
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The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Church of Our Lady of Remedies) is a Mexican church that was built on the pyramid of Quetzalcoatl in Cholula, Puebla state, in central Mexico after the Spanish Conquest. The Basilica was built with brada stone and decorated with laminilla[define this term] of 24 carat gold. It has an altar in the neoclassical style.[1] It was built between May 1574 and August 1575 and consecrated on March 25, 1629. The base on which the church is built is the largest pyramid of the ancient world, being 54 metres (177 ft) high, covering 54 acres and shaped by several superimposed structures over the course of six centuries.
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[edit] History
The defeat suffered by Hernán Cortés in the battle of the Sad Night led to a hurried escape of the survivors up to Naucalpan. Along the way they suffered the loss of many soldiers and native allies as well as notable hostages, such as some children of Moctezuma.
The conquistadors sheltered and recovered in the Indian temples until they could turn to fight the Aztecs at the Battle of Otumba. Legend tells that one of Cortes's soldiers, Gonzalo Rodriguez de Villafuerte, had with him one of the little religious images known as castrenses, and he hid it among the aloes in order to produce a vote of thanks.[clarification needed]
The legend tells that during the battle a sweet little girl was throwing dirt in the eyes of the attacking aboriginals, helping the Castilian victory.
[edit] Archeological structure
The Spanish recognised the significance of the pyramid mound, and reinforcing their superiority in typical Conquest fashion, replaced all trace of the existing native temple with their own church in the year 1594.[2]
The church is situated atop the Tlachihualtepetl (Grand Pyramid). Its worship, like that of its pre-Hispanic native predecessors, is associated with the propitiation of the rain.[3]
This archeological structure consists of several superimposed pyramids, accumulated over six centuries. The base is 450 m (1,480 ft) on each side and 54 m (177 ft) high, twice as large as that of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan and four times bigger in volume than that of Keops in Egypt.[2]
In the early 1930s, knowledge about the Great Pyramid was scarce. Exploration began in 1931 under the direction of the architect Ignacio Marquina. After 25 years, eight kilometres of tunnels had been excavated, enabling the discovery of the seven superimposed pyramids. (In the second one the Mural of the Butterflies was discovered, and in an attached building they found the Mural of the Drinkers, depicting more than a hundred human figures in a ceremony in honor of Octli, the god of pulque.)[2]
[edit] Decoration
The basilica was constructed with brada stone and decorated with 24 carat gold leaf laminilla. The altar is in the neoclassic style, as is the rest of the decoration. In 1595, the painter Alfonso de Villasana crafted the pictures in the walls of the Basilica.[clarification needed (mistranslation of something?)]
[edit] Image of Our lady of Remedies
The image of Our Lady of the Remedies that protects the church is 27 cm high and is carved and gilded.[4] It arrived on Mexican soil in 1519 with Captain Juan Rodríguez de Villafuerte, who brought it from Vasconia, Spain, to protect him during the campaign. Various versions exist of a legend about its prior history and origins as far back as 700 AD. It was in Veracruz where he[clarification needed (who?)] presided at the first mass celebrated in Mexico, on April 21, 1519, the same year as Hernán Cortés's mandate was affirmed by the conquerors in the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan.[4]
In 1520, when the Spanish under Cortés were defeated by the Aztecs while fleeing by way of Naucalpan, de Villafuerte concealed the image in a native temple on the highest part of the hill of Otocampulco. Twenty years later, indigenous people discovered it there under an aloe plant, and from then on, the virgin was kept in the house of the chief of San Juan Totoltepec, until he built a chapel. On the map of Santa Cruz, this chapel is shown with the name of Our Lady of Victory.[4]
[edit] Symbolism
Since 1594, the church has been dedicated to Our Lady of Remedies, who symbolizes the Christianization of the indigenous people by the Spanish.[1]
From its porch there are views in all directions, especially of the Valley of Puebla towards the east.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Nieva López, Jorge (September 2009). "Iglesia de los Remedios y Volcán Popocatepetl, Cholula Puebla". pa-puebla.com (Spanish)
- ^ a b c Moya-Sanchez, Alicia (January 13, 2007). "Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios en Cholula". flickr.com (Spanish)
- ^ "El Tlachihualtépetl, el cerro de la Virgen". periodicodigital.com. June 19, 2008. (Spanish)
- ^ a b c "Un poco de nuestra storia". basilicaremedios.parroquia.org. (Spanish)
