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was added between 1880 and 1888 by the master builder Zeferino (or Ceferino) Gutiérrez. He was a self-taught Indian mason who had never seen a Gothic church, but was inspired by postcards he'd seen of Gothic European cathedrals. One local legend says that he wasn't a draftsman and drew his concept in the dirt in front of the church to show his workmen what he envisioned. This legend proved false as his well-executed drawings are apparently in the archives of the Parroquia. He also executed other buildings in SMA. The neo-Gothic multi-towered facade is called "grotesque gothesque" by some detractors who feel it is not colonial and more Disney than gothic.
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North America
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