Colima Travel Guide

The Catedral Basilica Menor de Colima anchors the north side of Jardin Libertad, the steadiest presence on the main square of this volcanic state's capital. A church has stood on the site since the Spanish founded the city in 1525, but what visitors see is largely late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century work: Colima lies in an active seismic zone, and earthquakes in 1818, 1900, 1941 and 2003 repeatedly damaged earlier buildings, producing a cathedral with a neoclassical twin-tower facade, a central dome and comparatively plain pale walls, with the towers and dome since reinforced. In 1998 Pope John Paul II granted it the title of minor basilica, and it remains one of Latin America's early churches dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Inside are a bright symmetrical nave, a main altar of Carrara marble imported from Italy, side chapels and the Guadalupe image. This is first of all a working parish with daily Mass, not a curated museum, so lower your voice and avoid service times. Entry is free with donations welcome, daily 07:00-20:00. Morning light from across the square falls most evenly on the towers, and the Palacio de Gobierno, regional history museum and Hidalgo Park are all a short walk away.