The history of the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta started at the beginning of the 20th century when the foundations were laid for the construction of the first church in the city.
In the beginning, it was a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, until Father Francisco Ayala arrived at the port in 1915, who suggested building a tribute to the original Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The construction of the new church, to be declared a parish, began on October 12, 1921, 100 years ago.
The crown of the main tower of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe has a Baroque design, believed to be a replica of the crown owned by Empress Carlota of Habsburg, Maximiliano’s wife, Emperor of Mexico from 1864 to 1867.
Its construction was stopped due to the Cristero war and was resumed years later when the upper dome and the choir with its organ were added, installed on the 420th anniversary of the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City that prompted the construction of the Basilica in the capital.
Finally, in 1952, the construction of the main tower was completed. Its bells ring 30 to 15 minutes before each mass, defining part of the sounds that make up the spirit of Puerto Vallarta. This ringing is especially appreciated during the religious festivities that are organized on the first twelve days of December to commemorate the Virgin of Guadalupe, attracting pilgrimages of locals and tourists in a colorful and joyful celebration that fills the senses with songs, food, the colors, and the aroma of the harbor breeze.
This week, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Puerto Vallarta will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a full year of planned activities and events to honor the city’s most recognized landmark.
“This series of events will take place from October 2021 to October 2022. Most of them are confirmed, but still, there are some details to be confirmed,” said Roberto Cordero, parish priest of the church.
Activities throughout the full year of celebrations will include musical, religious, sports, and cultural events, among others that will be announced over the coming months.
Subscribe here for just .08 cents per day to read subscriber content, join the PVDN newsletter, and browse with site ad-free. Support local news.
Trending news on PVDN
- Government stops construction on four condominium developments in Puerto Vallarta for violations The Secretary of Environment (Semarnat) in Jalisco, Raúl Rodgríguez Rosales, reported that the government agency stopped the construction of four condominium developments in Puerto Vallarta for not complying with regulations.
- Investigation opened into taxi driver who intentionally hit and killed a woman in Puerto Vallarta The State Prosecutor’s Office is conducting investigations under the femicide protocol with a gender perspective, to clarify the facts which a woman lost her life due to being run over by a taxi, in what is believed to be intentional, in the municipality of Puerto Vallarta, yesterday, January 29, 2023, at approximately 8:09 p.m.
- With new explosion and 249 minutes of tremors in the last 24-hours, warning about Mexico’s most dangerous volcano is issued In the last 24 hours, at least 128 exhalations, 249 minutes of tremors, a minor explosion, and a volcanotectonic earthquake have been recorded, which is why the population is urged not to approach the volcano.
- Mexico outsources justice in its most high-profile cases to the United States The Federal Prosecutor’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has become an outsourcing agency for the Mexican government, since at least in the last five years, drug traffickers and high-profile criminals, who were not prosecuted for their crimes in Mexico, have been brought to trial and sentenced in the United States. The trial…
- Documentary, Malcom is Missing, takes you inside a daughter’s journey to find her father who went missing in Puerto Vallarta On Oct. 27, 2018, 68-year-old Canadian Malcom Madsen disappeared in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, having last been seen at a bar with his girlfriend, Marcela Acosta Ramos. The documentary, Malcom is Missing, takes you inside his daughter’s journey to find out what happened to her father. Madsen was a frequent traveller to Mexico, described by his…