There are lots of preserved colonial-style buildings in the center of Colón. Unfortunately, many of them have lost their original bright appearance due to weather conditions. Some streets may seem colorless, but this only makes the snow-white Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary, the most beautiful and largest church in the city, clearer and more attractive against their background

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Catedral Inmaculada Concepción) is considered one of the most precious gems of Gothic architecture in Central America.

Even though the cathedral looks quite old, precisely because of its architectural style, it is a very young building by historical standards: it is not even a hundred years old.

The construction of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception began in 1929. The project was supervised and personally supervised by Juan Maizteki, the first bishop of Colón. He wanted a temple that could compete with European churches to appear there. The bishop assumed that even if there would be no unique relics and the cathedral would not be painted by the great masters, it would be possible to create a modern work of art there. 

Indeed, the project turned out to be grandiose and very expensive. Thanks to Juan Maizteki, who was able to find the necessary funds for construction, the work went quickly enough. Just five years later, in 1934, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception received its first parishioners.

The only thing that the bishop, who was not a professional builder, did not take into account was the climate, which could seriously affect the materials used in the construction.

Year after year, the temple became more and more dilapidated: the humidity and wind seemed to blow the strength and power out of it. And by the beginning of 2000, the cathedral was recognized as an emergency. Despite this, services were held there for 11 years. And only in 2011, the church was closed for a large-scale restoration by order of the city authorities.

The work was completed in 2015: a lot was changed, but most importantly, the architects managed to completely preserve the magnificent appearance of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception by strengthening its walls.