s . The church was part of the monastery of the
Assumption of Mary of Cuernavaca (). This monastery was one of number of large fortress-style monasteries which were built in the early 16th century in what is now northern Morelos and far western
Puebla states, near the
Popocatepetl volcano. These monasteries were built to evangelize and subdue the indigenous populations shortly after the
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. These monasteries began the evangelization effort which would spread south towards
Oaxaca and
Central America then later throughout the colony of
New Spain. The organization of the Cuernavaca monastery was founded in 1525 by the first twelve
Franciscans to arrive to the new Spanish colony, along with some newer arrivals. Among these were Antonio Maldonado, Antonio Ortiz, Alonso de Herrera and Diego de Almonte. The original purpose of the monastery organization was the evangelization of the local indigenous peoples, and later to house and train missionaries to other parts of New Spain. However, the main church and its walled atrium was originally off limits to all except the Spanish and indigenous nobles. It was the fifth construction in New Spain by the order and supervised by
Toribio de Benavente Motolinia. Like other monasteries of the time, it was built with large, tall, thick walls and with
merlons in order to defend the new missionaries from still hostile native peoples. In 1882, an earthquake toppled the upper part of the tower. Reconstruction was ordered by Father Vicente Salinas y Riveras and supervised by José Gonzaléz Belauzaran. In 1891,
Pope Leo XIII established the
Diocese of Cuernavaca, to administer over the territory of Morelos, converting the Parish of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción to the Cathedral of Cuernavaca. The first bishop was Fortino Hipólito Vera. In the early 20th century, part of the complex was taken over by
Carranza-allied General
Pablo González Garza to use as a headquarters during the
Mexican Revolution. By the middle of the 20th century, the church still had some of its former rich decor, including a gilded
Churrigueresque main altar, along with two side altars with columns and
capitals, along with wood sculpture of the Virgin Mary. One of these capitols is important as it relates to where the celebration of the first mass in Cuernavaca. However, in 1957 the Cathedral underwent another major remodeling by federal government. Some of the work consisted of restoring elements to their original condition. This included the cloister's cells, refectory, library and corridors. Some Baroque elements were added to the bell tower. But the major changes were made in the interior of the main church. The outer layers of plaster were removed, exposing mural work from the 18th century, which covers almost all of the walls of the main
nave. This work tells the story of the martyrdom of
Phillip of Jesus and other missionaries who were crucified in
Nagasaki. The Churrigueresque altars and other older elements were mostly taken out and replaced with simple modern elements, especially in the main altar area. The older decorative items were placed in a
pinacotheca on the premises but are not available to the public. The cathedral complex became part of the
Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl World Heritage Site in 1994. ==Description==