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By One of this city's most prominent landmarks, the Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception, will celebrate its 100th birthday on May 7. The bright yellow
twin towers and the domes can be seen from just about any vantage point
in the downtown area, and on the hills, of course. Visitors say that if
they get turned around while browsing among the shops and the public market
downtown, all they have to do is look for the cathedral's yellow towers
to get reoriented. The cornerstone for the neoGothic structure was laid
on May 7, 1875. As the building progressed over the next few years, an onlooker
carped at the master mason, Estanislao Leon, that the walls were not straight
and that they would collapse upon the congregation. Don Leon, concerned
that the critic might be right, ordered sticks of dynamite placed at various
points around all four sides of the building, so that he could observe the
vibrations of the explosions. Nothing happened, so the builders kept right
on working as before. The church has successfully resisted earthquakes and
hurricanes throughout its century of existence. On the inside, the theme
of roses -- the flower of the Virgin Mary -- is found in the wall carvings,
the black and gold circles surrounding the ceiling lighting fixtures, almost
anywhere you look. Another theme that can be seen on the upper windows is
the Star of David. The six-pointed star is said to represent the six days
of creation, but it also honors a benevolent Jewish donor of the last century
who contributed generously to the fund for the original construction. A
few years back, it looked as though time would do what the dynamite couldn't.
The jungle was fighting to reclaim the building for lack of maintenance.
There were trees growing out of the cupola and erosion was eating away at
the stonework, to say nothing of the deterioration of the decorations on
the inside of the church. Ten years ago, when Father Trinidad |
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Hernandez became pastor of the parish that the cathedral serves, he set
about trying to repair the ravages. Using the forthcoming centennial celebration
as a catalyst, Padre Hernandez has led efforts to restore everything to
its former glory by the May 7, 1999, date. As the Pacific Pearl has reported
over the past couple of years, the cathedral's organ is also a valuable
asset worth preserving. It was created in Paris, France, by the famed 19th-century
organ maker Cavaille Coll, the same master craftsman who constructed the
organ for the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. It is the only one of its
kind in all of Mexico, and possibly has no equal in all of the Americas.
But as with the church itself, time and the climate in othese tropical latitudes
have done such damage to the organ that it has not been playable for a number
of years. Experts who have assessed the damage say that not only are some
of the pipes badly corroded, but the instrument's wooden components are
riddled by termites. The organ is salvageable, and parts of it have been
taken to a restorer's workshop in Mexico City. It remains there, awaiting
the funds needed to put it back to rights. While the organ won't be thundering
in triumph during the solemn high mass that Bishop Barraza will celebrate
on May 7, it is hoped that continued fund raising will bring the instrument
back to life and to Mazatlan. A cultural asset for the community, Padre
Trinidad has said that once it is reinstalled, the organ will certainly
be used for public concerts as well as religious rites. The patrons' committee
for the restoration of the cathedral is holding a raffle in which the top
prizes are a fully furnished house and a new Volkswagen Pointer, plus 15
other prizes. Tickets, at 20 pesos each, are available in the cathedral
office, to the rear of the building on the left hand side, from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. daily through May 5, the date of the drawing. The prizes will
be awarded on May 7 as part of the anniversary celebration. |
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