Mexico News
UNESCO names Tlaxcala Cathedral a World Heritage Site
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added the Tlaxcala Cathedral to its World Heritage list.
The organization’s World Heritage committee announced that it had included the Franciscan Ensemble of the Monastery and Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Tlaxcala in its existing World Heritage site known as “Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatépetl” volcano.
UNESCO noted that the cathedral and monastery were part of a construction program launched by Spanish colonizers in 1524 for the evangelization of Mexico.
“The ensemble is one of the first five monasteries established by Franciscan, Dominican, and Augustinian friars, and one of three still standing. The other two are already inscribed on the World Heritage List,” UNESCO said.
With the addition of the Tlaxcala Cathedral and Monastery, the slopes of Popocatépetl World Heritage site, which was established in 1994, now consists of 15 monasteries. Eleven are located in Morelos, and three are in Puebla.
The colonizing Spaniards’ alliance with the native Tlaxcalans helped them gain permission from indigenous groups to build cathedrals and monasteries in central Mexico during the early days of the colony known as New Spain. The Tlaxcala Cathedral and Monastery was largely built with the labor of indigenous people, who learned carpentry, sculpture, and goldsmithing skills, among others, from the Spanish.
The Tlaxcala Cathedral was the first in the region to be built in the renaissance architectural style, and it is also considered an early example of new-Hispanic, or viceregal, art.
From the beginning of the relationship between Spanish evangelizers and indigenous people in the land now known as Mexico, “a very particular” style of art emerged, said Francisco Vidargas, deputy world heritage director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
Mexico’s 16th-century monasteries are among “the most original artistic and architectural contributions of Iberian American art.”
There are pre-Hispanic elements on the walls of the Tlaxcala cathedral and monastery. The religious complex was not built over a ceremonial or sacred pre-Hispanic site, as was the case with some churches built in colonial days, but is located near a water spring that was sacred for the ancient tlaxcatecas.
Mexico has 35 UNESCO World Heritage sites including the historic center of Mexico City and Xochimilco, the archaeological zone of Paquimé in Chihuahua, and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacán and Mexico state.
International News
Hilton changes daily housekeeping policy
Hilton has made daily housekeeping optional across most of its brands in the United States, with the service performed only upon request until the fifth day of a stay, when it’s done automatically. Luxury brands Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, and LXR are exempt from the new policy.
Hilton properties in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa are operating housekeeping as requested, while hotels in Asia-Pacific are still providing daily service.
Cruise News
Disney Wish features a suite inside a funnel
Disney Cruise Line’s next ship will offer an industry first: a suite within a funnel, the Wish Tower Suite. Set high in the forward funnel of the Disney Wish, the 1,966-square-foot penthouse will have a design inspired by the film “Moana.”
The suite will sleep up to eight guests in two main bedrooms and will be accessible via private elevator. The ship and the suite will debut in the summer of 2022.
Aviation News
JetBlue unveils its transatlantic cabin
JetBlue believes its economy-class, transatlantic service will be the best in the sky when London flights begin this summer. The carrier said its new Airbus aircraft will offer wider seats and more pitch than most in the market.
It also said its meal service will offer mix-and-match options that can be ordered from seat-back screens and that it will be the only airlines to offer free, unlimited Wi-Fi on all transatlantic flights.
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Judy Newell, an international travel consultant for 50 years, heads Perfect Journeys and specializes in unique travel experiences to destinations around the world. She custom designs journeys that are tailored to suit client’s interests, physical abilities, and budget. Please contact Newell for further information on Travel News topics and around-the-world travel. Cell phone 415 111 8765, Vonage 949 300 3682; email judynewell@perfectjourneys.net.
Sources: MexicoNews Daily, Travel Weekly, Great Safaris