The Parrochia

The Parroquia is the parish chuch; it is not a cathedral. It sits to the west of the Jardin, the central square where people meet and hang out. It is currently being restored by the local government. During the civil war in the early 1900's, all the property that was owned by the (by then) wealthy and corrupt church was confiscated by the government. Now the Mexican government is restoring many ot these old churches, mainly due to their appeal to tourists. Right now we are gearing up for Easter, Semana Santa, which is THE biggest religious or civic celebration of the year. Every night there is something going on. Kids were out of school on Monday and Tuesday, and at night the Jardin was full of them, all running around cracking confetti-filled eggs over each others heads. Much excitement and fun. Last night the church yards were full of people, out for Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.


The style of the Parrochia is Victorian Gothic, which makes Architecture lovers want to throw up, but the rest of us find it impressive and astonishing. The architect was a local man, who got his design ideas from postcards of European churches. It was built the old-fashioned way: each day the architect would draw a picture in the sand of what he wanted built, and the craftsmen would build what he drew.