Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, Salto del Agua

The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Salto del Agua is a Baroque chapel almost lost in a busy intersection. It’s also known, more simply, as la Capilla de Salto del Agua. At the corner of Eje Central and Izazaga in the very south of the city center, the church dates from 1750. It was completed in the 1760s, designed by Francisco Navarijo. When the avenue was widened in 1935, the building was spared, but isolated. Today, in traffic, it can seem a rather peaceful respite from an otherwise very busy area.

The Brotherhood of the Conception, headquartered in the Church of Santa Veracruz, decided to build this church to serve some of their parishioners. It became its own parish church in 1772 and remains so today. The location today seems chaotic, but with the aqueduct already running, it was actually a relatively placid avenue. The fountain was added some 29 years later in 1779. This, of course, served as a public water source for much of the neighborhood.

Although it is not often open, the interior of the church is the best place to appreciate the considerable dome. The quarry-stone columns are even more impressive. If you are fortunate enough to visit prior to a mass, it’s one of very few where the Tridentine Latin Mass is still presented. You may want to stick around if you’ve never heard it.

• The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception actually appeared in the scandalous 1973 Alejandro Jodorowsky movie, The Holy Mountain, although primarily as a backdrop. It’s but a quick walk to the Vizcainas School Building, another masterpiece of Baroque.

Sources cited on this page:
Cupa.com.mx,  Ángeles Moreno: 
Fuente e iglesia del Salto del Agua legado de nuestra historia