Cuernavaca Cathedral
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Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary Catedral de la Asunción de María |
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Facade and belltower of the cathedral
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Cuernavaca, Mexico |
| Geographic coordinates | 18°55′12.77″N 99°14′12.41″W / 18.9202139°N 99.2367806°WCoordinates: 18°55′12.77″N 99°14′12.41″W / 18.9202139°N 99.2367806°W |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Province | Diocese of Cuernavaca |
| Year consecrated | 16th century |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | cathedral |
| Leadership | Bis. Alfonso Cortés Contreras |
| Website | diocesisdecuernavaca |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | church |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1529 |
| Completed | 1534 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 80 metres (260 ft) |
| Width | 40 metres (130 ft) |
| Spire(s) | 1 |
| Official name: Earliest 16th century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv |
| Designated | 1994 |
| Reference no. | 702 |
| State Party |
 Mexico
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| Region | Latin America and the Caribbean |
The Cuernavaca Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral de la Asunción de María) is the Roman Catholic church of the Diocese of Cuernavaca, located in the city of Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. The church and its surrounding monastery is one of the early 16th century monasteries in the vicinity of the Popocatepetl volcano, built initially for evangelization efforts of indigenous people after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. By the 18th century, the church of the monastery began to function as the parish church of the city and in the late 19th century, it was elevated to the rank of a cathedral. Unlike many cathedrals in Mexico, this one does not face the city’s main square, but rather is located just to the south, in its own walled compound, which it shares with a number of other structures. Unlike the other monastery structures from its time, the importance of this church provoked a number of renovation projects, the last of which occurred in 1957. This one took out the remaining older decorations of the interior and replaced them with simple modern ones. This renovation work also uncovered a 17th-century mural that covers 400 square metres (4,300 sq ft) of the interior walls and narrates the story of Philip of Jesus and twenty three other missionaries who were crucified in Japan.
The church was part of the monastery of the Assumption of Mary of Cuernavaca (Spanish: monasterio de la Asunción de María). This monastery was one of number of large fortress-style monasteries which were built in the early 16th century in what is now northern Morelos and far western Puebla states, near the Popocatepetl volcano. These monasteries were built to evangelize and subdue the indigenous populations shortly after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. These monasteries began the evangelization effort which would spread south towards Oaxaca and Central America then later throughout the colony of New Spain. The organization of the Cuernavaca monastery was founded in 1525 by the first twelve Franciscans to arrive to the new Spanish colony, along with some newer arrivals. Among these were Antonio Maldonado, Antonio Ortiz, Alonso de Herrera and Diego de Almonte. The original purpose of the monastery organization was the evangelization of the local indigenous peoples, and later to house and train missionaries to other parts of New Spain. However, the main church and its walled atrium was originally off limits to all except the Spanish and indigenous nobles.
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