Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico City 🇲🇽

Metropolitan Cathedral - Sam Beebe CC 3.0

In the heart of the city center sits the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico.

The church was built directly on top of a former Aztec sacred site to establish dominance and consolidate power over the conquered territory. The builders used stones from the sacred Aztec temples and construction began in 1573. Built over 250 years, it includes Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical architecture as the different building styles came into fashion over the years.

One of the largest cathedrals in all of North America it measures 420ft (128m) long by 194ft (59m) wide and rises 220ft (67m) high.

The first church on the site was elevated to cathedral by King Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. The church was modeled after Jaén Cathedral in Andalusia Spain and designed by Spanish architect Claudio de Arciniega.