Esperanza de María

The Esperanza de María church was built between 1988 through 1997. A first was said in 1995, and it’s been drawing visitors, photographers, and the simply astonished ever since. The full name is the Parroquia Esperanza de María en la Resurrección del Señor. That’s the Parish of the Hope of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Resurrection of the Lord.

The work is by Architect, Plutarco J. Barreiro Güemes (B, 1970). He collaborated with the engineer Enrique Martínez Romero to construct the temple. A publication by the UNAM Faculty of Architecture noted the surrounding urban space is complex, too. Unusual for Mexico City, pedestrians get good views of the entire neighborhood. Still, the site abuts a significant high-traffic road. Vehicular access is therefore on the other side.

The enormous roof is resolved with two layers of three-dimensional spatial structure which give it its unique urban silhouette. Even UNAM notes, “the work is not usually liked by architects because of its obvious similarities to Le Corbusier’s religious work.”

As a calling card for the religiously minded, the church has made a mark. The secular are simply stunned by the audacity of those reaching eaves, stainless steel and copper sheeting notwithstanding.

The main temple has a capacity for 900 people. A smaller Guadalupe chapel has a capacity for 250. A third, the Resurrection chapel, holds some 300 people. With a cafeteria, religious articles store, and bookstore, it’s not a bad place to stop in, and frankly, the interior lends itself to some simply spectacular photography.