Guanajuato Revisited Part 6 of 17: The Peace Plaza and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato

The Basilica looms over Plaza de la Paz. Before the Jardin Union plaza was built, this was the main plaza of Guanajuato. It is probably one of the most photographed sites in the city. This is made easier by the fact that most of the area around it is free of automobile traffic. The surrounding buildings are both historically important and architecturally beautiful, making the Plaza de la Paz particularly photogenic. I took this shot during our earlier 2008 visit. 

In this posting, I will focus on the fascinating history of both the Plaza and the Basilica and the roles they have played throughout Mexico's turbulent past. To locate Plaza de la Paz in a Google interactive map, click here. As you can see on the Google map, the triangular plaza is the convergence point of seven streets. Three of them are pedestrian-only callejones (alleys). These include Pasaje de los Arcos, Zapateros, and Cuesta de Marqués. 

Diners enjoy a meal under the red umbrellas of Restaurante La Tasca. Several local restaurants take advantage of the pedestrian-only street to set up outdoor dining. Carole and I have eaten at La Tasca several times during our visits in 2008 and 2022. The food on the mostly Mexican menu was good and reasonably priced. During the early colonial era, this was the administrative hub of the city and the various government buildings included the Real de Minas (Royal Mining District). 

In 1858, during the Reform War (1858-61), President Benito Juarez used the area that is now called the Plaza de la Paz to declare Guanajuato to be the capital of Mexico. However, only two years later Juarez won the war and the capital reverted to Mexico City. In 1865, during the French occupation of Mexico (1862-67), work began to construct the present Plaza. However, it did not get its current name until 1903. 

The Peace Statue, viewed from our table at La Tasca. The statue for which the Plaza is named was erected in 1897 by the renowned Mexican sculptor Jesus Contreras. It was made from a combination of bronze, marble, and an easily-carved volcanic stone called cantera. It is surrounded by a lush garden that conforms to the triangular shape of the Plaza. The building behind the statue was once an opulent mansion, but now houses a branch of HSBC bank. 

In 1903, Mexico's dictator Porfirio Diaz visited Guanajuato to officially inaugurate the statue and its plaza as Plaza de la Paz (the Plaza of Peace). The name commemorated the end of the Independence War in 1821. Diaz never imagined that, less than eight years later, he would flee the country as it descended into two decades of revolution and civil wars that would continue well into the 1930s. So much for peace.

Some of the Plaza's historic and architecturally significant buildings. The Congreso de Guanajuato (state legislature) occupies the building with the cupola in the background. Also located around the square are the Palacio Municipal, (city hall), the Real de Minas, and various mansions once owned by the elite of Guanajuato.

Basilica colegiata de Nuestra Señor de Guanajuato

The Basilica and Plaza de la Paza gardens. Restaurante la Tasca is out of view to the right. This photo was taken in 2008 and the body of the Basilica has since been painted another color. The left steeple is in the Baroque Churrigueresque style, while the one on the right is Neo-Classic and contains clocks on two of its sides. The rest of the exterior of the Basilica is also a mix of Baroque and Neo-Classic, a result of remodeling over the centuries.

This 17th century church dominates all the rest of the structures around the Plaza, both because of its size and its placement on a low knoll above them. The Basilica's construction began in 1671 and was completed in 1696. The 25-year span was not unusual for religious construction, since raising money for it was always an on-going effort. The main patrons were the fabulously wealthy owners of the silver mines located in the surrounding mountains. 

The clock tower and right side of the Basilica. Sometime before our 2022 visit, the church's exterior color had been re-painted to a light yellowish-tan with rust-colored accents. Wealthy patrons have always played a part in financing church construction in Mexico. However, such patronage was particularly a feature of the Baroque era of 17th and early 18th centuries. In fact, some historians feel that this diversion of resources may have negatively affected the era's economy. 

The piety of most of the patrons was probably genuine, but they also wanted to ensure themselves of salvation after death. One reason was their gross exploitation of mine workers, many of whom died from poor working conditions. These included overwork, cave-ins, and exposure to mercury and mine dust. In addition, pay levels decreased in the 18th century, impoverishing workers but greatly enhancing mining profits. The owners thus had good reasons to build these "stairways to heaven".

Neo-Classic pilasters frame a Baroque wooden door. A pilaster is a non-load-bearing column which primarily serves as a decorative feature. It is a feature often found in Neo-Classic construction. The four small faces in the upper part of the wooden door are a giveaway of its Baroque style. Two more of these odd, somewhat grotesque faces are located on the two small doors that form the lower part of the larger door.

View of the Basilica's single nave. The main altar can be seen at the far end. The decor of the interior of the church was remodeled into Neo-Classic style, probably during the late 18th and 19th centuries. The floor plan is in the form of a Latin Cross, with side chapels at either end of the cross. The main dome covers the area in front of the altar where the nave is crossed. To me, the most interesting feature of the church interior was the statue adorning the main altar area.

The statue of Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato. She is the patron of Guanajuato and is considered to be the oldest piece of Christian art in Mexico. The cedar wood statue is beautifully carved and painted. According to legend, local Christians hid it in Granada, Spain, when the Muslim Moors invaded in 711 AD and overthrew the Visigoth kingdom. If it was already in existence and revered when the Moors arrived, the statue may be considerably older than the 8th century. 

In 1492, the Reconquista (Re-Conquest) by King Fernando and Queen Isabela finally expelled the Moors. Shortly after this, they approved the first voyage of Christopher Columbus. His discoveries resulted in the conquest of Mexico and, ultimately, the shipment of huge amounts of silver to Spain. Much of this wealth ended up in the Crown coffers of Fernando and Isabela. 

Their successors, King Carlos I and his son Felipe II donated the statue to Guanajuato in 1557 in recognition of the city's success in silver mining. Originally housed in the Templo de Belén (see Part 4), the statue was later moved to the Basilica.

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The ceiling, choir loft, and pulpit are richly decorated. Many of the paintings adorning the walls of the church were the work of Miguel Mateo Maldonado y Cabrera (1695-1768). During his lifetime, he was considered the greatest artist in all of Nueva España (colonial Mexico). 

In addition to the religious work he created for the Church he painted many secular works for the colonial elite. A mestizo himself (mixed native and Spanish), some of Miguel Cabrera's finest works depict the result of intermarriage between native people, Spaniards, and Africans. 

One of the two side chapels at the ends of the nave's cross. The statue in the center is Jesus. Unidentified saints stand on either side. The eight columns that frame the statues are unadorned, except for their corinthian capitals. This and other features, such as the finials in the form of vases along the top, mark the chapel as part of the Neo-Classic remodeling.

This completes Part 6 of my Guanajuato Revisited series. I hope you enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments section, please remember to include your email address so that I can respond in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim