Polish traces in Mexico

Mexico is said to be a country friendly to Poles. It is certain that there is a strong cult of Pope John Paul II and that 80% of its inhabitants are Catholics. But are the traces of Polishness in this country linked only to the religious sphere? As it turns out: not only. We will prove it with the example of several places, starting with Mexican settlements and ending with the monuments themselves.

- Santa Rosa settlement - located 10 km from the town of León de los Aldamas . During the Second World War, in 1943, thanks to the Mexican government, Poles evacuated from the Soviet Union , who had been temporarily housed in refugee camps in India and Persia, were received here.
- Church of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Mexico City - located in the Lomas de Tecamachalco district . It has become an important place for the Polish community, especially after the visit to this country by Pope John Paul II in 1979. - Many monuments to him can be found both inside and outside the church. In 2011, the now venerated Merciful Jesus image was also placed here.
- Monument to Nicolaus Copernicus in Mexico City - is located in the Mexican capital, in the building of the former monastery of San Agustin . It is the oldest statue of the Polish astronomer in America, having been erected in 1833. The pedestal itself is decorated with the inscription "POLONICO".
- The monument to Paderewski in Mexico City - was made by the Spanish sculptor Miguel Baquidao Campas on the initiative of Colonel Jan Skoryna , who personally knew the Polish pianist and funded the sculpture. Although this happened in 1944, the monument did not appear on the streets of the Mexican capital until 2001.
- Monument to John Paul II at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City - during his pontificate, the Pope visited the country several times (he was more often in Poland only), and chose this country as the place for his first pilgrimage (which he later recalled many times).