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The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Guadalajara Cathedral, with its stri-
king Gothic towers, is the most important heritage
monument in western Mexico—and has stood for
over three hundred years. It could be said that the
city grew around it, and within its walls took place
many of the key public events in the shaping of
Guadalajara. It has borne witness to earthquakes,
wars, and fervent prayers during the Cristero War.
The Cathedral is part of the cross formed by the
Plazas de Armas, Guadalajara, and the Rotonda
de los Jaliscienses Ilustres. This neoclassical pan-
theon, built in 1952 by architect Vicente Mendiola,
holds a total of ninety-eight urns containing the
remains of notable figures in Jalisco’s arts, scien-
ces, and literature. Twenty-two sculptures stand
among the blooming jacarandas, paying tribute
to their essential role in the city’s history. Among
them is the statue of Rita Pérez de Moreno who,
alongside her husband Pedro Moreno González,
was active in the insurgency during the Mexican
War of Independence.
Also present is the statue of muralist José Cle-
mente Orozco, who captured like no other the
pre-Hispanic and Hispanic history of Mexico.
The power of his work expresses kindness, co-
rruption, oppression, and generosity; virtue and
evil reflected in recurring elements of his murals
such as fire, and in his pictorial wisdom that rea-
ches the sublime through the grotesque—driven
always by his relentless desire to portray the
human condition. The Man of Fire
TRAVEL
The Calandrias or Calesas, from Guadalajara
Sculpture of Beatriz Hernández, the Woman Who Shaped
Guadalajara’s History
The Man of Fire, considered
José Clemente Orozco’s mas-
terpiece, crowns the dome of
the Hospicio Cabañas
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