I’ve presented this in Montreal (October 2009), at the International Conference "Religious Houses: A Legacy", organized by Univiersité du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Concordia University, and the Conseil du Patrimoine Religieux du Québec. I was representing the General Directorship of Sites and Monuments of Cultural Heritage and the Mexican Ministry of Culture.

1. L’expérience mexicaine de la réutilisation et l’adaptation des couventsThe Mexican Experience in Adaptive Reuse of Religious Houses Ana Lozano

2. www.colloquepatrimoinereligieux.qc.ca October 2009. Montreal, Canada Organizedby: - Conseil du patrimoinereligieux du Québec - Concordia University - Universtité du Québec à Montréal

5. L’expérience mexicaine de la réutilisation et l’adaptation des couventsThe Mexican Experience in Adaptive Reuse of Religious Houses Ana Lozano

7. Every colonial city is full of religious buildings

8. Deeply religious society

9. Powerful and wealthy Church

10. Liberals Vs. Conservatives

12. Recreation of TenochtitlanDiego Rivera

13. Virreinal CityJuan Gómez de Trasmonte, 1628

14. Independent Mexico Pedro Gualdi, 19thcentury

15. Contemporary CityAerial view

16. Reutilization of a religious site

17. Historical remains of the pyramids, behind and under the Cathedral

20. The Church was the main landowner of the country. The clergy owned more than half of non-religious rural and urban properties. For nuns, there were 21 convents in Mexico City. All together, owned more than 897 urban properties to live from the rent. Mexico City Ignacio de Castera, 1776

22. Civil marriage (1859)

23. Civil registration (1859)

24. Secularization of cemeteries (1859)

25. Suppression of religious holidays (1859)

26. Freedom of religion (1860)

27. Secularization of hospitals and charities (1861)

29. They suffered serious damages, destruction, fragmentation.

31. AzcapotzalcoConvent

32. Dominican convent constructed in 1565

33. Santo Domingo Convent

35. 1716 Pedro de Arrieta Architect

36. San Agustín ConventNational Library

37. Constructed in 1541, reconstructed in 1692 and transformed in 1867

38. San Francisco Convent

39. The first convent in Mexico (1527-1530) The largest in the Continent 23,000 m2

48. La Merced Cloister

49. 1693-1703

52. San Juan de Dios HospitalFranz Mayer Museum

53. Built in 1582 Reconstructed in 1772

54. Convent-Hospital, 1582 Hospital Morelos, 1861 Handcrafts market , 1970 Museum, 1986

57. Cloister, cafeteria and auditorium Access and stairs Exhibition halls Storages and offices

64. TheOldCollege of San Ildefonso

66. College of St. Ildephonsus (1767)

69. Diego Rivera’sfirst mural

70. “Mexican Muralism” found here his first location

71. The recent restoration was carried out by Legorreta Architects

72. San Felipe NeriOratoryLerdo de Tejada Library

74. Latter, the compound was orphanage, tenement houses, theater, parking place, repair shop for cars and now a library

75. The capital got an elegant theater when the Arbeu was opened in 1875. Zarzuelas and Operettas were presented here for almost 80 years.

76. New building for the reserved collection 2’000 m2 of murals in the historical building Library since 1970

77. Tridentine SeminaryGovernment Palace of Michoacán State

78. King Charles III of Spain ordered the constructionInaugurated in 1770Expropriated in 1859 and used since then as Government Palace

79. Outstanding figures of Mexican history studied in this Seminary

81. Santa Catalina of Siena ConventCamino Real Hotel in Oaxaca City

82. Founded in 1576 as a Dominican nuns convent The washing place is a characteristic building

83. “Your Reverence should know by now the persecutions, injustices and cruelties that have been committed against us, deprivating us from our communal belongs, throwing us outfrom our beloved cloister and dispersing us in diverse houses, where we suffer many deprivations and miseries and an addition of sadness and sorrow” Letter from the prioress Plácida de JesúsMaría y José to the general of the Dominicans. Archive of the Santa Catalina de Siena Convent

84. It housed the City Hall, a Masonic Temple, two schools, the jail and, in the church, a cinema

88. Our Lady of CharityGirls’ SchoolTheBankers’ Club

90. German casino in 1861

91. Hotel Havre

92. A bar, shops and tenement houses

93. Colón Theater, 20th century

94. Imperial Cinema

100. Examples Franz Mayer Museum: Lent to the Trust San Ildefonso: UNAM, CONACULTA, City’s Gov. Lerdo de Tejada Library: Bought by the Treasure Ministry Government Palace of Michoacán State: State’s property Camino Real Hotel: Lent to a private company (!) Banker’s Club: Private property since Reform

102. Not to be prescribed to any particular

103. Tax free“Every temple destined to the public worship before the 29th of January 1992, is considered a property of the Nation” Official National Diary 28th of January 1992

105. Supervises interventions

106. Coordinates, contracts and supervises restoration works

108. General Directorship of Sites andMonuments of Cultural Heritage It is in charge of protecting, restoring, conserving and cataloguing the buildings and objects of federal property with artistic and historic value in the whole country. 20,000 religious buildings in the country and the related artistic objects

109. Fund of Support to Communities for the Restoration of Monuments and Artistic Goods of Nation’s Property FOREMOBA

110. Sites and Monument’s recent restoration works

111. “The religious subject has given the most characteristic examples of every epoch’s architecture, up to the point that it can be said that the history of architecture is, in general, the history of religious art.”Félix Candela (1910-1997)

112. Also, their value comes not just from the point of view of their artistic and architectural value. The outstanding relevance of the cult building comes from its protagonist position in the society.

113. Churches and convents are collective expressions result of the way in which a community getsrelated among them and with the Divinity. They are, as well, an effort from a social group to make a master piece that represents them.

114. We all know how important the preservation of these buildings is. We have the interesting challenge of spreading this into the whole society.

116. Benitez Fernando: Historia de la Ciudad de México. México. Salvat Mexicana de Ediciones, S. A. de C. V. 1984.

117. Casasola Gustavo: Seis Siglos de Historia Gráfica de México 1325-1976. México. Editorial Gustavo Casasola, S. A. 1978.

118. Castro C; Campillo J; Auda L: México y sus alrededores. Edición facsimilar. México. Establecimiento Litográfico de Decaen, Editor. 1855-1856.

119. De la Maza Francisco; Pardinas-Illanez Felipe; De la Encina Juan; et al: Cuarenta Siglos de arte Mexicano. México. Editorial Herrero, S. A. 1981.

120. García-Cubas Antonio: El Libro de Mis Recuerdos. 6ª. Edición. México. Editorial Patria, S. A. 1969.

121. González-Obregón Luis: México Viejo (Época Colonial). 10ª. Edición. México. Editorial Patria, S. A. 1980.

122. Gurría-Lacroix José; O’Gorman Edmundo; Velásquez Ma. Del Carmen; et al: Historia de México. México. Salvat Mexicana de Ediciones, S. A. de C. V. 1978.

123. Olavarría Roberto; Rosell Lauro E; Chapela Gonzalo: México en el Tiempo. México. Excelsior S.C.L. 1946.

124. Rojas Pedro: Historia General del Arte Mexicano. Época Colonial. México. Editorial Hermes, S. A. 1963.

125. Rivera y Cambas Manuel: México Pintoresco Artístico y Monumental. Edición facsimilar. México. Editora Nacional. 1880.

126. Rosell Lauro E: Iglesias y Conventos Coloniales de México. 2ª. Edición. México. Editorial Patria, S. A. 1961.

127. Toro Alfonso: La Cantiga de las Piedras. 2ª. Edición. México. Editorial Patria, S. A. 1961.

128. Toussaint Manuel : Arte Colonial en México. México. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. 1983.