Catedral de Veracruz

The Cathedral of Veracruz, the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, stands on the zócalo (Plaza de Armas) in the historic centre, which it shares with the Palacio Municipal, the palms and the café tables of the portales. It is the seat of the Diocese of Veracruz, although the church only became a cathedral in 1963; for most of its life it was the city's parish church, and the famous Café de La Parroquia began in 1808 as a small shop opposite it.

A modest parish church stood here first. The present building was begun in the early 17th century and finished in 1731, and it was altered in the early 19th century. Its single bell tower, on the right-hand side, was added only at the start of the 20th century and is topped by its own small dome. A general restoration between 2008 and 2013 removed the quarried stone cladding that had been added to the outer walls and returned the three facades to their original whitewashed plaster over walls of stone and brick, which allows the old masonry to breathe; the dome was also restored.

The church has a basilica plan with five naves, the central one higher than the others, and an octagonal dome with a small lantern, covered in Puebla tiles. The main facade is neoclassical and plain, in two levels with a crest: a round-arched doorway between paired Doric columns below, the choir window and a medallion between Ionic columns above, and a triangular pediment on top. Inside it is simple; the high altar and the Baccarat crystal chandeliers that hang along the central aisle, a gift from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, are the main features. In the evenings the plaza in front comes alive with danzón and music.