In front of the main façade of the Metropolitan Cathedral, you can see the remains of a wall that could be part of the side chapels and sacristy of the Main Church or Old Cathedral of Mexico.
In the atrium of the Metropolitan Cathedral, four archaeological windows display what appear to be the remains of the side chapels and sacristy that were attached to the north side of the Main Church or Old Cathedral of Mexico, built by Hernán Cortés in 1525. This first work, designed and executed by architect Martín de Sepúlveda, was completed in 1532 after several repairs and was finally demolished in 1626.
This first archaeological window measures approximately 4 m long by 2.20 m wide. It partially reveals the remains of a viceregal wall made of tezontle stone and mud, covered with lime and sand and decorated with red paint. This wall may have been part of a side sacristy of the Main Church or First Cathedral. At a greater depth, under the foundations of this early colonial-era construction, there are remains of stone and mud walls, as well as evidence of a slab floor, apparently Mexica, which served as a foundation.
Source: Raúl Barrera Rodríguez, director of the Urban Archaeology Program
