The hidden Lithuanian synagogue in the Centro Histórico of Mexico City

Walking along calle Justo Sierra, in the heart of Mexico City's Centro Histórico, it's easy to pass number 71 without noticing it. The facade is neo-colonial, plain, indistinguishable from the other buildings on the street. No conspicuous sign, only a small Star of David carved into the wooden doors. And yet behind that wall lies one of the most curious pages in the history of the Mexican capital: the first synagogue founded by Ashkenazi Jews in Mexico, opened in 1941.

The Lithuanian interior

The surprise comes as you cross the threshold. The interior is a faithful replica of a temple in Šiauliai, a Lithuanian city known in Yiddish as Shavel. The project's main benefactor came from that city and wanted to rebuild, thousands of kilometres away, the place of prayer he had known. The result is a neo-Romanesque hall with round arches, an upper gallery (the ezrat nashim, reserved for women), and the aron ha-kodesh, the cabinet that held the Torah scrolls, on the wall facing Jerusalem. It's a piece of the Baltic Europe transplanted into a Mexican neighbourhood.

The Jewish quarter

The reason this synagogue exists is the neighbourhood itself. The streets around it — Justo Sierra, Guatemala, Academia, Loreto, Jesús María — formed, between the two wars, the so-called Barrio de los Inmigrantes, where Jews arriving from Eastern Europe and the Middle East gathered. Grocery shops, kosher butchers, European bakeries, tailors, houses of study and of prayer coexisted within a few hundred metres. Over time the community moved to other parts of the city, the synagogue lost its congregation, and for decades it stood closed and in decay.

The restoration is recent. After a lengthy renovation, the building reopened in 2009 as a cultural centre, and today it is the only structure in Mexico to officially bear the title of Sinagoga Histórica. It no longer functions as a regular place of worship: it is a space of memory, open to visitors, that tells the story of Jewish immigration to the country.

What to see

What you really see: the main hall with its wooden interior, the gallery, the liturgical furnishings, and an exhibition section devoted to the community's life in the neighbourhood. Self-guided visits run from Sunday to Friday, roughly from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday is closed for Shabbat. Admission for the self-guided visit is free (donations are welcome). There are also proper guided tours, generally on the first and third Sunday of the month, and a paid walk through the Barrio de los Inmigrantes, which leads into the streets where the community's shops and workshops once stood. It's best to check hours and dates on the official website or by phone before going, since the tours are not held on public holidays or during Jewish festivals.

Getting there

Getting there: you're a few blocks from the Zócalo, the central square, and from the Templo Mayor. The handiest metro stop is Zócalo (Línea 2); from there it's five to ten minutes on foot heading east. Being right in the Centro Histórico, the synagogue pairs well with a day devoted to the old quarter, yet it stays off the more beaten tourist tracks: most of those who visit the centre don't even know it exists.

A practical tip: bring an ID, because it may be requested at the entrance for security reasons, and dress respectfully, as this is, after all, a place linked to worship.

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