Former convent of the lions desert, also damaged by earthquake

By Nelly Segura Granados/Notimex

The lions desert is a space that gives truce to the speed of the city between pines and smell of Oyamel, its strong structure has resisted the onslaught of more than 400 years, but the earthquake of September 19 violated its walls and beautyand tranquility of its gardens.

The former convent of the Lions desert is located in the National Park with the same name that has an extension of more than 1,800 hectares;Its construction began in 1550 when the Order of the Barefoot Carmelites discovered the serenity that prevails in the forest that belongs to the Neovolcanic mountain range.

The abbey built by the Carmelites is composed of the main cloister, cells, refrector, library, kitchen, loss, laundry, orchard with chapels, perimeter fence, stables and the Bicentennial Museum;Now, each of these spaces has cracks, some small, almost invisible and others that put their splendor at risk.

In the era of independence, the order had to leave the place and give it to the then government of the viceregal capital.Subsequently, the enclosure was abandoned and served as a den of thieves who installed a false money factory.

After the reform, the value of the area was recognized and declared as a forest reserve in 1876.At the time after the revolution, Venustiano Carranza promulgated him National Park in 1917.

The deputy director of Tourism of the Cuajimalpa delegation, José Antonio Jiménez García, who is in charge of the former convent, explains that at the moment it remains closed and that after various tours with specialists they have determined that repairs after the earthquake require 38 million pesos pesos.

One of the most serious effects is the one in the atrium of the main ship, there two huge cracks remain at risk of collapse the nartex or cover of the church and therefore the administration custodia it with a fence of 10 meters to theRound to avoid risks.

In addition, in the aqueduct that is known internationally, a crack was exacerbated in the ceiling that will have to be evaluated and repaired by experts with the hope that the representation of the Llorona, of Night Legends and the Magic Christmas Festival will return to the place.

On the other hand, a 200 -meter crack travels one of the halls characteristic by its arched shape that aimed to generate echo to prevent the friars from breaching their silence, the passage will have to be shore to avoid risks before being repaired before being repaired permanently.

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These effects are added to the multiple landslides of finishes found in each space, according to the delegation official, the phenomenon is due to the humidity accumulated in the flattened ones that fell with the telluric movement.

He added that the day of the earthquake no one was injured in the enclosure or in the nearby hermitages and neither in the Peteretes Park, which regulates specimens of white tail deer, nor in the area of sale of crafts or the food area.

He affirmed that a work director (DRO), who went to the place, explained that various tasks are required such as fence and prop up some spaces to open the enclosure up to 60 percent without risk for tourists.

He regretted that with the aim of maintaining the place clean, the workers and rangers raised, in some places, the fall of the flattened ones, which hindered the expertise of the new cracks and those that already existed.

He said that during the first 30 days after the earthquake they requested two million pesos from the General Directorate of Historic Sites and Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture, through immediate partial support (API), of the Natural Disaster Fund (Fonden);However, resources were not granted.

Jiménez García explained that they will now have until October 18 to assemble and present a file with the effects, in order to request the resources necessary for the reconstruction of the enclosure from the Ministry of Culture.

Consider that the process can be late, therefore, they will seek with other government instances and civil associations the resources.

He acknowledges that it is a large amount of money and that the country is going through an emergency in which there are priorities, so together with the delegation administration they have thought of making a concert for the benefit of the repair work, which would have as its scenario the gardenof the secrets, place of unmatched natural beauty located inside the monastery.

He explains that before the earthquake diagnosis work had been carried out that determined that for their total rehabilitation about 98 million pesos were required.

The official hopes that at least the work of the first stage will end in November to be able to open the former convent and commemorate the first 100 years of the first national park in the country, for which a celebration was already preparing.