Restoration of the Church

Hola, here is the morning light just before the sun crested the hilltop. I want to update you on the restoration of Iglesia Parroquia de Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion or as most people call it, the church.



As I have mentioned before, Alamos is a Pueblo Magico and is hoping to become a World Heritage Site. Money for restoration projects are given to towns lucky enough to be chosen Pueblo Magicos and more money will be available when it becomes the heritage site.



I have shown you the alameda and where some of the Pueblo Magico money is going. It is so exciting to see all the work. The lamp posts are now lit at night and if you are lucky enough to walk the alameda during the evening you can really feel the Pueblo Magico. Today I was down at the alameda and the old stone fountain has been retiled and the pipes, refitted for water flow. There's no water in it yet, but it certainly draws a big crowd to view the tile work.


The church is where a great deal of the money is going, but it is not just government money that is funding the church restoration. Several groups within the Alamos community, both mexican and foreign, have spent long hours fundraising dollars to assist in the projects.



In the photo above you can see the single church tower. If you recall, originally a second tower was planned but the construction was interrupted for unknown reasons, and as a result, incompleted churches with only one tower do not pay taxes on the structure and land.



Below you can see restoration of one dome has been completed and the larger dome above is now being worked on. The stone wall below has been reinforced with Pueblo Magico funds.




The cupola on the tallest dome has been painted white and you can see the weathervane that is below the iron cross.

Below the painters are beginning to work on the largest dome.

The original construction of this baroque designed church began in 1786 and was completed in 1804. Below you can see the fine china plates that were donated by women of society. Many of the plates were destroyed by Pancho Villa and his troops in the early 1900's. The two arches above the plates are the bell towers.

The church clock was brought to Alamos from Rome and runs by ropes around wheels and not by cogs.

Below, to each side of the bell tower, you can see initials of families that contributed silver and money to the original construction in the late 1700's.

And below, the iron cross above the cupola of the largest dome.

As the restoration moves forward, I will continue to update you and when they do turn on the water fountain at the alameda, I will get you a picture. In the meantime, there is just a tiny little cloud over the top of Mt. Alamos. It is very, very windy and it doesn't feel like there is any humidity. And it is time for my siesta. adios....linda lou