A lighting program financed by the renewable energy giant Iberdrola, through its Mexican subsidiary, will help the city of Oaxaca renew and beautify itself. The initiative, made possible thanks to a significant financial donation, aims to attract a greater flow of tourists and promote sustainability with an efficient lighting system.
Oaxaca is regarded as the most exquisite gem of Mexican soil. As a city, it is joyful, picturesque, and beautiful. Located in the geographic heart of the country, it rises with distinguished pride as the capital of the state that bears the same name and opens itself to the world like a splendid maguey flower, unique and original. Born from a land steeped in tradition, color, music, and flavors, Oaxaca displays all its charm to the world in a magnificent array—a kaleidoscopic reflection of its vibrant cultural diversity, its gastronomy, its natural beauties such as fine golden sand beaches, and the splendor of a remarkable collection of stunning colonial buildings, unique and distinguished works of baroque architecture in the Americas.
This broad array of Oaxacan buildings, which form part of Mexico’s Architectural Heritage, were for the most part erected with massive volcanic stones extracted from nearby quarries. With their astonishing greenish hue, the volcanic stones, when shimmering under the sun, bestow these colonial constructions with originality and an unmistakable local identity. For this reason, to highlight this unique and unrepeatable hallmark and the majesty of the buildings regarded as true cultural bastions, an efficient and renewable lighting program will grant one of its emblematic buildings, the Church of San Felipe Neri, a new splendor.
Iberdrola México, the world leader in clean energy, in partnership with the Oaxaca state government and within the framework of the Oaxaca Shines program, will donate a new lighting system for the Church of San Felipe Neri. This ambitious initiative consists of a comprehensive lighting project valued at—and surpassing—one million dollars, to be carried out with the expertise and skill of Iberdrola’s specialists. The works aim to artistically illuminate this historic landmark through an innovative LED lighting system that will make the church shine with renewed brilliance. This precise and strategic form of illumination will highlight the colonial beauty of the building and will also significantly reduce the carbon footprint generated by lighting, through the implementation of a new system that is efficient and 100% clean.
Illuminating a Temple that Honors the Work of San Felipe Neri
The new lighting system is equipped with cutting-edge technology that reduces the church’s current electricity consumption by 50%. This is a remarkable achievement for a city striving to develop activities and processes that safeguard the environment and enable an effective reduction of the carbon footprint, both in Oaxaca’s capital and throughout Mexico.
The LED projectors, incorporating state-of-the-art systems, will not only contribute to the sustainability of the temple but will also serve as strategic elements for enhancing its exterior beauty, a site visited daily by hundreds of tourists. The equipment, installed by expert personnel, seeks to enhance while strictly respecting the colonial identity of this monument. The study, design, and execution of this effect involved the collaboration of architects and specialists in artistic lighting, focusing on correctly integrating the different sources of light. Experts will also employ careful, non-invasive installation methods to preserve the structural integrity of this cultural asset, a key factor in the proper conservation of the building.
It was in 1661 that, on this side of the Atlantic, the Congregation of the Oratory of San Felipe Neri founded one of the first Oratories of the Order in what was then the territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The works, which extended over more than a decade, were officially completed on January 17, 1773. Since then, the beautiful San Felipe Neri Temple has stood as an iconic piece of architecture for Oaxaca and for all of Mexico. Experts describe it as an extraordinary example of late 17th-century American baroque. Its main altarpiece, covered in sheets of gold, demonstrates unique and exquisite richness and quality. In addition, it features six side altarpieces adorned with paintings of high artistic, historical, and cultural value. For all these reasons, this temple, located just a few meters from Oaxaca’s central square, deserves to shine in keeping with its beauty and cultural wealth: resplendent, and now, 100% renewable.
