It is no secret that Catholicism is the dominant religion in Mexico. Traces of this Catholicism can be seen throughout many aspects within the country, including landscape. I will be diving deep into the effects of Catholicism on Mexico's landscape throughout this discussion. But first, it is important to look at prevalence. According to the United States Census, Mexico had a population of 126 million in 2018. Of that 126 million, 83 percent of the population identify themselves as Catholic, 5 percent identify as Evangelical Protestant, 1.6 percent identify as Pentecostal, 1.4 percent identify as Jehovah's witness, 0.5 percent identify as Jewish, 2 percent identify as other, and 5 percent report that they do not practice a religion. Please see the chart below as a visual. (US Census)
Chart 1: Religion in Mexico, made in Microsoft Word using data from US Census
While Catholicism dominates the charts in 2018, it has not always been like this. Let us take a look at some of Mexico's history. Beginning in the year 250, The Mayan civilization entered Mexico on the Yucatán peninsula. The Mayan practices became one of the most dominant during this time period, leading to Traditional Maya Religion to be the most prevalent. The Mayan civilization and religion had great impact on Mexico's landscape. In fact, much can still be seen today, like the Mayan ruins. Next on the historic timeline, The Aztecs arrive in Mexico's central valley following the prophecy of one of their gods, Huitzilopochtli. With this arrival, the Aztecs brought over their highly developed social, intellectual, and artistic skills. The Aztecs created an amazing social, political, religious, and commercial empire. One can find many key aspects of Aztec religion in present day Mexico. Aztec temples and palaces built intricately using Aztec architecture are found throughout the landscape. However, the Aztec empire fell when Francisco Hernández, Spanish explorer, arrived in Yucátan from Cuba in 1517. The local population clashed with the Spanish explorers, leading to Diego Velásquez, Spanish governor, to send a larger force back to back. Just two years later in 1519, Hernán Cortes arrives in Mexico with 11 ships and 450 soldiers. After conflict with the Aztecs, Cortés eventually builds Mexico City on the Aztec Ruins by 1521. Mexico City now becomes one of the premier European centers throughout the world. With this Spanish leadership brings the dominant Spanish religion of Catholicism (History).
Timeline 1: Timeline of Mexico, created using Microsoft Word
Based on this information, we understand that Mexico has a diverse religious history. This history is present throughout the landscape of Mexico. Below are some examples of Mayan and Aztec architectural features in present-day Mexico.
Image 1: Uxmal Mayan Ruins, found in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico (Uxmal, Mayan Ruins Website).
Image 2: Tenochtitlan Aztec Ruins (Mayan Ruins Website)
The examples above display that a timeline of religious history can be displayed throughout Mexico's landscape. Now that we have evaluated the past, we can take a look at the present. As discussed earlier, Catholicism is the dominant religion in present day Mexico. There are obvious traces of this religion throughout the country. Examples of this are names of cities and towns, such as San Tiburcio and San Luis Potosi.
An aspect found within Catholicism is the high importance of religious buildings (Smith) . This importance can be seen throughout many cities in Mexico. Many Mexican Catholic Cathedrals are built in the center of the cities. A great example of this is Mexico City, Mexico. One of the most famous Cathedrals in Mexico City is Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México. To represent the high importance of this Cathedral, it was built nearly dead center of the city. This is displayed in the map below.
Map 1: Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México within the boundary of Mexico City, created using Google Earth Pro
In the map above, Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México is represent with a pink placemark, the boundary of Mexico City is indicated with a green path, and the boundary of urban Mexico City is indicated with a pink path. Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México is centered within the urban area of Mexico City.
Placement within the city center is not the only proof of importance of Catholic Cathedrals within Mexico. Many Cathedrals are located near other buildings of high importance, such as, government buildings, markets, and more. This can be demonstrated using the previous example of Mexico City. Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México is located diagonal from Palacio Nacional, an official government building of Mexico City. Below is an image to show the relation of the two buildings.
Image 3: Palacio Nacional in comparison to Catedral Metropolitana in Mexico City, image taken using Google Earth Pro.
Speaking of these important buildings, Catholic architecture features can be traced. A common architectural feature of Catholicism is luxurious archways and beautiful stone work. Throughout the Cathedrals in Mexico, one can see the architecture features. However, Cathedrals are not the only buildings one will find this architecture. In buildings, such as government buildings and schools, there is Cathedral-like architecture. For example, I have two images below. One is from Palacio Nacional and the other is from Catedral Metropolitana. Note that they both have similarities within architecture.
Image 4: Outside of Palacio Nacional, screenshot using Google Earth Pro.
Image 5: Inside Catedral Metropolitana, screenshot using Google Earth Pro
Another important aspect of Catholicism is the emphasis on family (Smith). The importance of family is present throughout Mexico. Many families live with each other or reside near each other, impacting the landscape. Pensions are scarce in Mexico, so there is an emphasis on adult children supporting their elderly parents. The majority of adult children live in the area as their parents. 2 percent of adult children live in the same home as their parents, 32 percent live in the same neighborhood, 33 percent live in a different neighborhood but same city, and only 21 percent live in the a different city (NCBI). With this information, it is apparent that family is an important aspect in Mexico, rooting from Catholicism. The importance of family and families living near each other mark traces that can be seen throughout landscape. A great example of this are streets named after family names, such as Ca. Juan de Montoro in Aguascalientes and Av. Ignacio L Vallarta in Jalisco.
In conclusion, one can see that Mexico has had a diverse religious past. It is notable throughout many features, especially the landscape. Being that Catholicism is currently the most practiced religion, it is most apparent that there are traces of it throughout the landscape. One can find Catholicism in large features, such as named of cities and city setup, small features, such as neighborhood placement, and everywhere in between.
Works Cited
Gomes, Cristina. “Intergenerational Exchanges in Mexico: Types and Intensity of Support.” Current Sociology. La Sociologie Contemporaine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2007, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5783570/.
History.com Editors. “Mexico.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Jan. 2010, www.history.com/topics/mexico/mexico-timeline.
“Mexico Religion - United States Department of State.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, 1 Nov. 2021, https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-civilian-security-democracy-and-human-rights/office-of-international-religious-freedom/.
Smith, Benjamin T. The Roots of Conservatism in Mexico Catholicism. University of New Mexico Press, 2012.
“Uxmal.” Mayan Ruins Website, www.themayanruinswebsite.com/uxmal.html.
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