Church and Hospital of Jesus the Nazarene

Church and Hospital of Jesus the Nazarene (Iglesia y Hospital de Jesús Nazareno) is 3 blks. s. of the Zócalo on Avenida República del Salvador; the entrance is at Salvador and Calles Mesones (M: Pino Suárez, lines 1 and 2). The first hospital in Mexico is said to stand on the site where Hernán Cortés and Aztec emperor Moctezuma had their first meeting in 1519; a large stone tablet on Pino Suárez next to the church commemorates the occasion.

The hospital, still in operation, now has a modern-looking exterior; the adjacent church is in the style of 17th-century Spanish colonial architecture. An entrance to the chapel is on Avenida Salvador at Pino Suárez. A plaque marking the tomb of the conquistador is on the wall to the left of the main altar, although his remains are in a burial niche hidden 10 feet above the floor.

The last piece of art created by Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco, inspired by the Apocalypse as well as World War II, covers the ceiling and upper walls of the church's choir mezzanine. The building complex also encompasses two colonial-style, plant-filled courtyards.

Time: Allow 30 minutes minimum.