Basilicas in Southern Mexico

I blogged about the following basilica on February 5, 2020.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Puebla de los Angeles.

Basilica of Our Lady of Help, Patzcuaro, Michoacan de Ocampo

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1924.

Construction of the Basilica began in 1540 and continued until the 19th Century. It is built on the site of an indigenous worship site. The image of Our Lady of Help was made of corn-cane paste by native craftsmen in the 16th Century. Soon after the church was built, people began experiencing miraculous cures and pilgrims have come ever since.

Pictures are from a tourist website.

Basilica of Our Lady of Ocotlan, Tlaxcala de Xicohtencatl, Tlaxcala

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1957.

A native Mexican was seeking water for people suffering from a plague in 1541. Our Blessed Mother appeared to him and directed him to a previously unknown spring and told him to take this water to the sick. He did so and they were cured. Franciscans later found an image of Our Blessed Mother imbedded in a tree and work was soon begun on the Basilica. The Basilica has a white façade flanked by two reddish towers. It employs the Baroque Churrigueresque style of architecture and Our Lady’s statue is said to change colors between red and pale.

The first two pictures are from Flickr, the third is from TripAdvisor, the fourth and fifth from Wikipedia, and the last from Pinterest.

Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude, Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1959.

The Basilica was built between 1682 and 1690 to house an image of Our Lady of Solitude. The image was apparently found in the pack of a mule that refused to move. The Basilica is noted for its 79-foot-high Baroque concave façade. The statue of Our Lady has a four-pound gold crown encrusted with 600 diamonds. The original crown was stolen in the 1980s but has been replaced.

The first two pictures are from tourist websites and the next two from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, Apizaco, Tlaxcala

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1963.

The Neo-Gothic Basilica was built between 1930 and 1961. The stone building has a 116-foot-high granite dome and two 164-foot towers. The main altar is made of Carrara marble.

The first two pictures are from Flickr and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Carmel, Catemaco, Veracruz

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

Carmelites brought a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to Catemaco in 1714 and a shrine was soon erected there to house the image. The current Basilica was completed in 1953 and employs Neoclassic, Baroque, and Romanesque styles. The Basilica has 23 stained glass windows featuring the lives of Jesus and Mary and a 69-foot-high dome.

All pictures are from Flickr.

Basilica of Our Lady of Charity, Huamantla, Tlaxcala

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1978.

An image of Our Lady of Charity was brought to Huamantla in the 17th Century.

All pictures are from Flickr.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Colima, Colima

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1998.

The Cathedral Basilica is the cathedral church for the Diocese of Colima. The adobe, brick, and stone church was built between 1525 and 1540 and claims to be the oldest cathedral in Mexico.

The first two pictures are from Wikipedia, the third from Flickr, and the fourth from Pinterest.

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Chignahuapan, Puebla

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1998.

The Basilica was built in the mid-20th Century in a modern style. Its most notable feature is a 40-foot-high red cedar wood statue of the Immaculate Conception. Our Lady’s crown is gold plated and inlaid with gemstones.