Day Seven - Mexico City, Metropolitan Cathedral

The original Spanish church was torn down in 1628 while the present Metropolitan Cathedral was under construction. The Metropolitan Cathedral construction begun in 1567 and finished in 1788, and is a blend of baroque, neoclassic, and Mexican churrigueresque architecture. When Cortes and his Spanish missionaries converted the Aztec in the 16th century, they tore down their temples and used much of the stone to construct a church on the site. Nearly all of the stone from the nearby Templo Mayor was built into the cathedral. Over the centuries, the cathedral and the Sagrario (chapel) next to it have sunk into the soft lake bottom beneath. The base of the facade is far from level and straight, and when one considers the immense weight of the towers —127,000 tons — it's no surprise.