Showing posts with label Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. Show all posts

Saturday, January 12, 2013

El Zócalo



El Zócalo de Oaxaca ha existido desde 1529. A la llegada de los españoles establecen Oaxaca como muchas ciudades creadas durante este período, con edificios de Iglesia y gobierno alrededor de una plaza y calles con coordenadas rectangulares que se extiende desde la Plaza.


The Zócalo, of Oaxaca has existed since 1529. On arrival, the Spanish laid out Oaxaca like many cities created during this period, with church and government buildings around a square and streets with rectangular coordinates extending from the Plaza. 


En el lado sur del Zócalo, está el Museo del Palacio Espacio de la diversidad, o el Palacio del Gobernador original, construido en 1832. En el lado norte se encuentra el Hotel Marqués Del Valle. En el oeste de el hotel el Zócalo se abre a la Alameda de León. Los lados este y oeste son en su mayoría llena de restaurantes. Durante el dominio colonial, el lugar no tenía pavimento o paseos, sólo una fuente de mármol construida en 1739 y posteriormente, se elimina para dar lugar al primer quiosco en 1857. En 1885 una estatua de Benito Juárez se reemplazó el quiosco. En 1901 la actual kiosco fue construido en un estilo art nouveau con una cubierta metálica y pasamanos de hierro forjado sustitución Benito Juárez. El Zócalo es una parte central de lo que hace que Oaxaca aparece como patrimonio cultural de la humanidad por la UNESCO.


On the south side of the Zócalo is the Museo del Palacio Espacio de la Diversidad, or the original Governor’s Palace, built in 1832.  On the north side is the Hotel Marques Del Valle.  To the west of the hotel the Zócalo opens out to the Alameda de León.  The east and west sides are mostly filled with restaurants. During colonial rule, the place had no pavement or side walks, only a marble fountain built in 1739 and later removed to make way for the first kiosk in 1857.  In 1885 a statue of Benito Juarez replaced the kiosk. In 1901 the current kiosk was built in an art nouveau style with a metal cover and wrought iron railings replacing Benito Juarez.  The Zócalo is a central part of what makes Oaxaca listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO.


Alameda de León contiguo es otro plaza, con el correos al oeste y la Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción al este, al principio construido en 1535.

The adjoining Alameda de León is another plaza with the post office to the west and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption to the east, originally built in 1535.


El Zócalo sirve como un lugar de reunión habitual tanto políticas como sociales. La Banda del Estado de Oaxaca tiene conciertos en el Zócalo Capitalino los domingos a las 12:30.

The Zócalo serves as a central gathering place both social and political.  La Banda del Estado de Oaxaca has concerts in the Zócalo on Sundays at 12:30. 


El miércoles por la noche que se puede participar en el Danzón con la banda de Marimba.

On Wednesday evenings you can participate in the Danzón with the Marimba Band. 


Otros conciertos se celebran aquí intermitentemente.

Other concerts are held here intermittently. 


El 23 de diciembre, La Noche de Rabanos llena el Zócalo.

On the 23rd of December, La Noche de Rabanos fills the Zócalo.


La noche siguiente los Posadas desfilan por el Zócalo.

The next night the Posadas parade through the Zócalo.


En el frente político, diversos grupos han acampado de protesta frente al Palacio del Gobernador. En el año 2002 los oaxaqueños protestaban contra McDonalds que intentó abrir un restaurante en el Zócalo Capitalino. Protestaban por tener un festival los tamales.

On the political front, various groups have camped in protest in front of the Governor’s Palace.  In 2002 the Oaxaqueños protested against McDonalds who attempted to open a restaurant on the Zócalo.  They protested by having a tamales festival. 


Además de las cafeterías y restaurantes que rodean Zócalo, mucho otro comercio ocurre aquí. Es posible comprar la ropa y la joyería, conseguirle los zapatos brillaron, para comprar juguetes para sus niños, comprar flores y cualquier número de otras cosas.


Other than the cafes and restaurants that surround the Zócalo, much other commerce takes place there.  It’s possible to buy clothes and jewelry, get you shoes shined, buy toys for your kids, buy flowers, and any number of other things.





Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption



The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción) is an imposing sight on the Alameda de León in Oaxaca's city center.  The cathedral, whose construction began 1535, had to be extensively rebuilt in 1730 after a series of earthquakes and fires, which explains its solid walls and asymmetrical towers.  The Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca. During construction the Temple of San Juan de Dios served as the cathedral of the diocese. In 1640 the seat of the diocese was transferred to Our Lady of the Assumption. Due to earthquakes in the 16th and 18th centuries, the cathedral had to be reconstructed several times, with the most recent reconstruction beginning in 1702 and finishing in 1733.

Its facade is made of green cantera stone commonly found in Oaxaca's buildings, and the interior is in Neoclassical style. The altar features a bronze statue of Our Lady of the Assumption (Nuestra Señora de al Asunción) made in Italy during the Porfirio era by Tadoini.  The towers of the cathedral are not the originals, which were destroyed in a 1931 earthquake. In the south tower there is a clock donated to Oaxaca by King Fernando VII.  A chapel at the back of the church, left of the altar, houses the revered crucifix of El Señor del Rayo (Our Lord of the Lightning Bolt), the only piece to survive a fire that started when lightning struck the thatch roof of the original structure.  The second chapel on the right contains the remains of the Cross of Huatulco. Against the west wall of the choir is a locally built baroque pipe organ, parts of which date to 1711-1712, restored in 1997. The interior was plundered during the Wars of Reform, so is not as interesting as the intricate exterior.












The cathedral's attractive Baroque façade includes a fine relief of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary above the central door. The heavy, elaborate frame around the picture and the highly stylized wavelike clouds next to the cherubs are distinctive features of Oaxacan Baroque. An uncommon and quite lovely detail is how the Virgin's cape and its folds are depicted in angular lines and facets.  For more views please visit my picasa web album.