#Church of La Purísima Concepción

[retireyoungtravelsmart]

El Quelite: A Time Capsule of Charm Beckons from Mazatlan

Escape the bustling beaches of Mazatlan and delve into the heart of Sinaloa with a captivating day trip to El Quelite. This quaint colonial town, nestled just 25 miles northeast, offers a glimpse into Mexico’s rich history and a vibrant local culture. El Quelite’s name originates from “quelites,” a wild green vegetable similar to spinach. Founded in the 1800s, the town boasts a timeless charm.…

[nmnomad]

The Spanish missionaries constructed the Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción mission between 1627–1633. The Franciscan priests recruited the village’s women and children (forced labor). The nave measured 100 x 27 feet, making it one of the largest in the state. It was 40-feet tall, nearly twice the height of most pueblo churches. Until the Salinas pueblos collapsed (plague, raids, smallpox, drought) in the 1640s, Quarai was home base for the Spanish Inquisition in New Mexico.

[onlymexico]

Real de Catorce , often shortened to Real, is a village in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí and the seat of the municipality of Catorce. It is located 160 miles (260 km) north of the city of San Luis Potosí, and currently has a full-time population of under 1,000 residents. This 'ghost-town' in the high and dry expanses of northern San Luis Potosí state was once a thriving silver mining settlement. Real de Catorce has long been a pilgrimage site for both local Catholics and Huichol shamanists, and is now being discovered by international tourists drawn by the desert ambience and reputed spiritual energy.

The village of Real de Catorce sits on the side of a mountain at more than 2,743 meters (9,000 ft). It is located in the Sierra de Catorce range, one of the highest plateaus in Mexico, where summits may extend over 10,000 feet (3,000 m). These mountains lie in the arid Mexican plateau, cut off from trade winds of the Gulf of Mexico by the high peaks of the Sierra Madre Oriental.

The main road to Real de Catorce leaves Highway 62 between Matehuala and San Tiburcio. This is roughly to the east of Real, near the town of Cedral. From the main highway there is a 17-mile (27 km) cobblestone road which rises into the sierra, then the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long Ogarrio Tunnel which only accepts vehicles one way (with travelers in and out having to wait their turn).

Real de Catorce ('Royal Fourteen') is named for 14 Spanish soldiers killed here in an ambush by Chichimeca warriors. Other sources tell that in the beginning the name was "Real de Álamos de la Purísima Concepción de los Catorce" (Real de Alamos of the Immaculate Conception of the Fourteen). Although a town had been there for many years, silver was discovered in the local mountains in 1772 and a few years later in 1779 the village was officially founded. The parish church was built between 1790 and 1817. Real de Catorce's heyday was in the late 19th century, when it had a population of 15,000, with some of Mexico's richest silver mines and a mint, as well as a bullring and shops selling European luxury goods. It was almost completely abandoned when the price of silver plummeted after 1900; only a few people remained in this ghost town, eking out a living from mine tailings and an annual influx of pilgrims to a reputedly miraculous image of St. Francis in the parish church. Today, its main income comes from tourism.

Several major commercial motion pictures have been filmed in Real including Bandidas (featuring Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz), The Mexican (featuring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts), and some scenes of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (featuring Humphrey Bogart), and of Puerto Escondido, directed by Gabriele Salvatores.

Templo de la Purisima Concepcion, a parish church containing a reputedly miraculous image of St. Francis

Thousands of pilgrims visit the Parish of Immaculate Conception the week around the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4 to express their gratitude for favors granted. Inside the church are hundreds of Retablos attesting to the miracles that have been performed.

Wixárika (Huichol) indigenous peoples walk across miles of desert from Nayarit, Durango, Jalisco and Zacatecas to visit the valley of Catorce every spring to leave religious offerings at the "Cerro Quemado", a ceremonial center to the east of their mystical religious territory. Quemado is, according to their ancestral beliefs, the birthplace of their "Tatewari" or Grandfather Fire.

During this time, they also visit the Wirikuta or desert below Real de Catorce to gather a year's supply of sacred nourishment in the form of peyote or "hikuri", the magical cactus that they use to guide their path and consciousness. Though found throughout the region, the cacti in the Wirikuta purportedly produce the most desired crop.

At other times of the year, there is a continuous pilgrimage of people of all ages and nationalities. They travel thousands of miles to arrive at this sacred site and experience a mystical communion with the magical cactus. So much so, in fact, that the government has mounted a campaign to protect the cactus from these so-called "peyote tourists". It is illegal for anyone but Huichol Indians to gather, or possess, the peyote cactus.

Others come to Real de Catorce for health reasons. At almost 9,000 feet (2,700 m) the city is an excellent training ground for bicyclists and runners.

Although in the southern range of the Chihuahuan desert, due to its altitude, Real can be very cool at night. Although days, particularly in summer, can be very hot, it is advised to always bring a jacket, even in summer.

Real de Catorce was named a "Pueblo Mágico" in 2001.

[lebjaperal]

TRYING TO TRACE THE HISTORY OF THE CATANAUAN CHURCH Last year, JB Tahum and I visited the Spanish colonial period churches in the Bondoc Peninsula of Quezon Province. After Pitogo, we drove to Catanauan to see its church. Inside the Catanauan Church, I found posted on a bulletin board a short history of the church. It states that Catanauan was founded as a town in 1713, and that its previous name was Nabatasan. It was around the same time that a church made of light materials was built just outside the town. Years passed and the church deteriorated. Males were ordered by the parish priest and town officials to construct a church made of stone. Those who would not participate in the construction were flogged at the plaza. This church was renovated and strengthened in 1813 and was dedicated to the Inmaculada Concepción. I tried looking for more information online on the history of the Catanauan Church, but I did not find much. According to a Facebook Page of the Immaculate Conception Parish, Catanauan was officially made a parish in 1883. The website of Pintakasi: Chronicles on Filipino Popular Piety and Ecclesiastical History, however, states that the parish church was built in 1835. Interestingly, there is an old bell displayed outside the church. It is called La Purísima Concepción, and it was cast in 1853, which might also be the same year when the church was constructed. 1813, 1835, 1853 and 1883. There is no definitive source that can say when the church was built. However, it seems safe to assume that the present church dates back to the 19th century. A marker inside the church states that the church was last renovated in 2013. The Pintakasi website also shares the story of how the miraculous image of La Inmaculada Concepción de Catanauan was found - a fisherman saw the image half-buried in the mud by the seashore of Catanauan. He brought the image home. That night, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in his dreams and asked him to build a chapel for her. It is said that the site where he built the chapel is where the present Catanauan Church stands. #quaintquezon #thetimetrekker https://www.instagram.com/p/CepBvh0hO8X/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[cristinad61]

California Missions, Part 8

California Missions, Part 8

Mission Santa Cruz Bell tower, Mission Santa Clara de Asis Church building at Mission Purísima Concepción Cuartel (Soldiers quarters) La Purísima soapworks Oven in patio, shops building Cooking pot in patio Tanning vats Picnic grounds 1799 Sacristy chest, inside church building La Purísima bell tower

[cajaboe]

Apreciado la belleza de la altísima ⛪ Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción, pueblo de Álamos, Sonora Mx. 🌾 . . . #Photography #picoftheday #Church #Tower #catholic #religion #Art #architecturephoto #architecturephotography #architecture #architecturelovers #Beauty #beautiful #Mexico #BlackandWhite #black #white #monochrome #monochromatic #sky #god #Jesus #tradition #travel #Culture #blackandwhitephotography #blackandwhitephoto (en Álamos Sonora - Pueblo Magico) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Vew_HHJUx/?igshid=1wlpqw1hrsfot

[grandmastertravel]

Sagua La Grande: a sweet future for Cuba’s sugar city

Rundown but beautiful, and with a host of exotic stories to tell, the town is on the rise as new hotels open and renovation gathers pace

Wandering round the Cuban town of Sagua La Grande is like turning the cobwebbed pages of a forgotten magical realist novel. It has two grandiose churches: the 1860 Purísima Concepción de Sagua la Grande, with frescoes, stained glass and marble, framed by a streets that end in a square dwarfed by 100-year-old yellow flame trees; and the 1908 Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, seat of the banished Jesuits.

Continue reading... Travel | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/mar/16/cuba-sagua-la-grande-revival-sugar-hotels

[cesartb123-blog]

Parroquia de la Purísima concepción, Real de Catorce! Real de 14! #sky #slp #mexico🇲🇽 #church #drone #dji #mavicair #town #mountains #traveling #travel #loveit #amazing #clouds #photooftheday #realdecatorce #view #nice (en Real de Catorce) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqX-ETqhQlq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xaq00bc0s4jl

[araquefotos]

Iglesia y convento de las Mercedarias Descalzas de la Purísima Concepción, también conocida como "Las Góngoras. Construcción del siglo XVII de estilo barroco. Como curiosidad, destacar que el sobrenombre de Las Góngoras no es por el poeta Luís de Góngora (el cual si da nombre a la calle donde está situado el convento) sino al caballero de la orden de Alcántara Don Juan Felipe Jiménez de Góngora, ministro del consejo de Castilla entre otros cargos de la época. #madrid #tourism #catholic #convent #church #art (en Madrid, Spain)

[hoomanity]

When Spanish exploration of the Salinas Valley in present day New Mexico began in the late 16th century, the ancient pueblos of Salinas became home to Spanish missionaries and large mission churches. El Misión Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Cuarac. Completed c.1629, Quarai would eventually serve as the ecclesiastical headquarters for the Spanish Inquisition in New Mexico until 1674, when droughts and repeated Apache attacks caused the complete abandonment of the pueblo and its mission. Photo taken in April 2016. #salinasvalley #quarai #cuarac #newmexicotrue (at Quarai)

[lebjaperal]

I was looking at the designs on the doorway of La Purísima Concepción Church in Macalelon when I noticed a familiar figure. What I initially thought was a flower now looks much like a sand dollar to me. Given that Macalelon is a coastal town, those built this church must have been quite familiar with sand dollars. So, is it a flower or a sand dollar? I still need to research more on that. (at Macalelon, Quezon Province) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNWcBzTHYm37nG0rBwWuJZcFMpzXP7rKlVGp2k0/?igshid=18zsh65dzjg2q

[lebjaperal]

MACALELON'S CASTILLO AND OTHER HERITAGE STRUCTURES On the second day of our Quezon Province Heritage Tour back in 2018, Albert Vincent Barretto brought me to Macalelon. Padre Félix de Huerta, OFM wrote in his chronicles (published in 1855) that "Macalelong" was founded as a barrio in 1696, but was added to the town of Mayoboc a year later. It was ravaged by pirates in 1782, and it was erected as a separate town in 1793. Padre Huerta also wrote about Macalelon's La Purísima Concepción Church, but he never mentioned when it was built. A clue that Padre Huerta left is that Padre José Medio de la Natividad, OFM built the town's first church, and Padre Medio became the parish priest of Macalelon after the town was erected in 1793. A year later, the administration of the church was transferred to the Diocese of Nueva Cáceres. However, that only took effect in 1801. On the other hand, Juan Álvarez Guerra wrote about his disdain for "Macalelong" in his travel narratives (published in 1887). He called the town as a place of misery and barbarism. He described the people as poor and apathetic, and that the people demanded that they be given alms. This is just my own reading of Guerra's travel narratives, but I think he blames it on the fact that the town was under the care of a Filipino secular priest and not a Spanish Franciscan friar. Albert also brought me to Macalelon's Barangay Castillo to see its lighthouse. As I have learned from reading Juan Álvarez Guerra's travel narratives, forts or watchtowers built during the Spanish colonial period were called "castillos". When I saw the Macalelon lighthouse, I understood why the barangay was named Castillo. The modern lighthouse was built on an old watchtower. Given its location where the sea meets the river, the watchtower must have been built to protect the town from pirates and other invaders. The year 1855 can be seen above the entrance to the watchtower. Inside, the year 1930 is seen on a wall. I am assuming that the watchtower was built in 1855, and that the lighthouse was constructed on top of it in 1930. I must admit that I need more research to verify these assumptions. #quaintquezon #thetimetrekker https://www.instagram.com/p/CBWf4fFhhNC/?igshid=wbrhpc2j3lnz