The cathedral faces Parque Caldas, the heart of the colonial centre. The first chapel on this site was built of straw in the 16th century; the current neoclassical structure dates from the late 19th century, with the dome and main façade rebuilt after the 1983 earthquake.
Inside, the white plastered walls and clean lines feel more restrained than the heavily gilded baroque of comparable South American cathedrals. The main altar holds a polychromed statue of the Virgin of the Assumption that survived the earthquake. Free entry; closes for Mass.