The Crown of the Parish
Puerto Vallarta’s most recognisable symbol was not designed by a famous architect — it is the result of Jaliscan artisans who interpreted a sculptor’s vision with the tools and materials at hand.
The Original Design (1963–1965)
The crown was designed by sculptor José Esteban Ramírez Guareño, the same artist who created the remarkable Way of the Cross inside the church, modeled in direct plaster between 1952 and 1955. For the crown, the process involved several master artisans:
- Emilio Campos, a marblist, modeled the different sections in clay in his workshop.
- Lino Mercado, master mason, directed the assembly of the sections in their final location, high atop the tower.
- Esteban Avalos forged the cross, the sphere, and all iron anchoring for the crown and the supporting angels. He also crafted the ironwork for the windows and the interior railing of the temple.
When Art Departs from the Blueprint
These artisans interpreted the design according to the materials available to them, with fascinating results. Ramírez had intended the angels to carry the crown while flying, with wings spread. But the artisans placed them standing, continuing the structural function of the columns of the bell tower.
Another departure from the original design: the angels wear Ionic chitons with long sleeves because they were copied from the statues that then flanked the high altar, not from Ramírez’s sketch. Those original statues — one offering a crown and the other a sceptre to the Virgin — are now preserved in the Carmelite Chapel.
The Earthquake and the Comeback (1995–2009)
In 1981, the first restoration of the crown was carried out due to tropical weather damage. But on October 9, 1995, a magnitude 8 earthquake centered in Colima severely damaged the original sculpture. A temporary fiberglass replica was installed as a stopgap.
For fourteen years, Vallarta’s most photographed icon wore an imitation crown. It was not until October 2009 that the acclaimed Jaliscan artist Carlos Terrés sculpted the current crown: a monumental structure of cemented rock with embedded religious symbols, resistant and majestic.
The current crown has five sections, held aloft by angels with open wings that lend airiness to the bell tower profile. A Latin cross of forged iron and glass, set upon a sphere of the same materials, crowns the entire ensemble.
For more details, exclusive photos, and the complete history of this sculpture, visit the historical archive at puertovallarta.net.