The Bell Towers on the Cathedral

Another recommendation from Alfonso was a tour of the bell towers on the Metropolitan Cathedral and, as usual, this was a good recommendation.  The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven (Spanish): Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Santísima Virgen María a los cielos) is the largest cathedral in the Americas and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. 

It is situated atop the former Aztec  sacred precinct near the Templo Mayor on the northern side of the Plaza de la Constitución in Downtown Mexico City. The cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813 around the original church that was constructed soon after the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan, eventually replacing it entirely. Spanish architect Claudio de Arciniega planned the construction, drawing inspiration from Gothic cathedrals in Spain.  

^{We bought tickets for the tower tour in the cathedral; not as simple as it sounds.  The ticket seller was quite uninterested in selling tickets and unapologetic that he had no change of any kind.  Too bad.  Can't get a ticket.  But we worked it out.
The two bell towers contain 25 bells the largest of which is named the Santa Maria de Guadalupe and weighs about 13,000 kilos}   

  





^{Our tour guide spoke Spanish so I missed a lot but fortunately, there were some bilingual people on the tour who occasionally clarified things for us.}  The bells ring for different saints days and special occasions or events.  

You can see how the bell has worn away the walls on either side.

 

And the views from up there are terrific. 

The National Palace

The Zocolo