Cathedral Basilica of Colima

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe sits on the north side of the Plaza Principal, its yellow-and-white facade and twin towers visible from most of the colonial centre. The interior is bright and surprisingly spare — pale walls, a coffered ceiling, and a high altar topped by an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe under a gilded canopy.

Step out onto the plaza afterwards. The cathedral, the Palacio de Gobierno across the square, and the shaded portales together form one of the most pleasant central spaces in provincial Mexico. Sunday evenings the bandstand fills with music and the locals come out to walk, eat ice cream, and watch each other.

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A story
The cathedral has been rebuilt repeatedly after Colima's frequent earthquakes — the current neoclassical version dates from the late nineteenth century. In 1998 Pope John Paul II elevated it to a minor basilica, recognising it as the first church in Latin America consecrated to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

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