Human-caused fire damages Mexico City’s second-oldest church; reconstruction project approved

Authorities promised Monday to erect a barricade around Mexico City’s second oldest church after a weekend fire damaged the tower, choir, an organ, and stained glass.

One homeless person was rescued from the fire at the Santa Veracruz church and the Archdiocese of Mexico noted the church had been broken into by homeless people “several times” in the week before the Saturday night blaze.

City authorities said Monday the church would not be declared off-limits but would have more protection and get a restoration .

The structure dates back to 1567, though construction continued in the 1700s. The first church on the same site was ordered built by conquistador Hernán Cortes.

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Church services had been canceled there after it suffered damage in the 7.1 magnitude 2017 earthquake, and parts are currently shored up by wooden supports that apparently helped feed the blaze.

Homelessness is a persistent problem in Mexico City’s historic downtown, and amid the coronavirus pandemic, many homeless people have lost food and cash handouts, and temporary work they depended on.

The organ suffered damages on 95%, stained glasses were destroyed, as well as canvases, and the tower which were reached by the fire on Sunday.

Human-caused fire damages Mexico City’s second-oldest church; reconstruction project approved

The fire started on Sunday morning and although firefighters worked to extinguish it, the fire reignited hours later at the venue classified as a Historical Monument by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

Officials from Mexico City’s Culture Ministry visited the 16th-century building on Monday.

“The fire started at the shared área between the south tower, which is next to Hidalgo Avenue, and the temple’s chorus. The fire was probably started there by people who got in to sleep, perform some recreational activity, or eat,” said Diego Prieto, the INAH’s director.

Most of the wooden supports were consumed by fire. Nevertheless, the south tower also had a yoke, wood that went through the tower, and that held a bell, but it fell down as the wood was burnt.

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According to Prieto, the fire did not reach the north tower, although the smoke did, an element that was present at the nave of the temple.

Regarding movable assets, the anthropologist and INAH director said the organ was located at the choral: “The instrument was massively damaged and is likely to be irrecoverable. The organ dates from the 20th century and is a part of the Historical Monument.”

In this respect, Salvador Barba, the Archidiocese link with authorities for reconstruction, said the instrument was 95% damaged: “There are many like this, but most of them are useless because they have not received maintenance.”

Moreover, the “medallion of the main front,” canvases, and stained glass whose date is yet unknown were also damaged .

Human-caused fire damages Mexico City’s second-oldest church; reconstruction project approved

The paintings were from the 18th century; one of them was located at the south wall, next to the choral área, so “it was directly affected by the flames; it’s not by a renowned author;” while the second canvas was in the north wall “and was a bit smoked, but it has no damages that involve a complicated restoration.”

Prieto added that most part of the movable assets, such as crosses, sculptures, and important paintings, such as those by Cristóbal de Villalpando, were not affected because they were near the main altar or the sacristy. “All of those assets, as well as the temple’s historical archive that was not damaged, have already been protected ,” he said.

The restoration

The Santa Veracruz church was severely damaged during the earthquake that took place on September 19, 2017 and three years later, it has registered new damages so authorities have planned to completely restore it by 2021.

The executive Project for the restoration, according to Diego Prieto, was already approved, what was missing was to conclude the management of resources from the Fund for Natural Disasters (FONDEN), which assigned nearly MXN $10 million for the building.

“We will work in a consecutive and uninterrupted way; first, there will be an intervention to address the damages by the fire; it might take us a couple of months and we will immediately continue with the instrumentation of the comprehensive restoration project, first with funds from the FONDEN and if it is needed, we will use resources from the National Reconstruction Program. There is the commitment for the historical temple to be completely rebuilt by 2021.” Said Prieto.

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MXN $10 million for restoration

However, the temple has yet another problem: it is leaning as a product of the soil sinking, the same problem that affects other buildings in the area, such as the Metropolitan Cathedral.

The Cathedral, said Prieto, has new piles in its foundations. “We must assess if a similar strategy can be implemented in the case of the Santa Veracruz church.”

Human-caused fire damages Mexico City’s second-oldest church; reconstruction project approved

Legal actions

The Santa Veracruz church is a Historical Monument protected by the Federal Law on Monument and Archeological Sites but according to the General Law of National Properties, the custody belongs to the religious association .

And although the INAH director acknowledged that “a temple that is closed is more vulnerable,” Salvador Barba said, “the church does not have the resources for surveillance.”

Meanwhile, this fire made the religious association and the INAH file two complaints. One, as explained by Diego Prieto, corresponds to common law filed by the ones who have its custody. The second was a criminal complaint filed by the INAH against whoever is responsible for the damages to the Historical Monument. “It is not with the objective of persecuting someone; it is done in order to investigate what happened and so that we are able to authorize the resources from the insurance, it is a requirement.”

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