The Cruz de Mañozca (Mañozca Cross), otherwise known as the Cruz de Tepeapulco (Tepeapulco Cross), is a 16th century atrial stone cross placed in the courtyard of the

Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven ( es, Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Bienaventurada Virgen María a los cielos) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Me ...

, in the

historic center of Mexico City The historic center of Mexico City ( es, Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México), also known as the Centro or Centro Histórico, is the central neighborhood in Mexico City, Mexico, focused on Zócalo or main plaza and extending in all directio ...

, in the

Cuauhtémoc Borough Cuauhtémoc (, ), also known as Cuauhtemotzín, Guatimozín, or Guatémoc, was the Aztec ruler (''tlatoani'') of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521, making him the last Aztec Emperor. The name Cuauhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle" ...

. The cross was created for the , Tepeapulco, Hidalgo, and was eventually brought to Mexico City at the request of archbishop Juan de Mañozca y Zamora.

History

During the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization of the Americas,

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

installed in Tepeapulco, Hidalgo, and built the . As was the case with the various temples and churches of the time,

atrial cross Atrial cross ( es, Cruz atrial) is the name given in the Mexican Colonial Conventual constructions, to a type of large cross made by the mendicant friars in the atriums of the churches, symbolically pointing to the center of the towns given thei ...

es were built in the enclosure. The cross was formerly located in the front of the convent, which was abandoned during the 17th century. At the request of archbishop Juan de Mañozca y Zamora, the cross was moved to the cemetery area of the

in 1648. Mañozca y Zamora found it surrounded by weeds and described it as "a cross of red stone masonry, twelve rods high (approximately ) ..engraved with great care by the first religious". Since then, the cross has been installed in various areas of the cathedral and is located at the rear of the original cathedral in the Patio de los Canónigos courtyard, whose access is restricted to the public.

Gallery

File:Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City 2015 87.jpg, Southwestern atrial cross, where the cross once stood File:Catedral Metropolitana y Sagrario, Ciudad de México - Cruz.jpg, Southeastern atrial cross, where the cross once stood File:Catedral y Sagrario Metropolitano 77.jpg, The cross as of 2012

References

External links

* 16th-century establishments in New Spain Individual crosses and crucifixes Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City Historic center of Mexico City History of Hidalgo (state) {{Mexico-struct-stub