Religious freedom and public space: a study of the surroundings of Catholic churches in Monterrey, Mexico

Religious freedom is manifested in public spaces, understood as places of coexistence, expression, and social integration. This becomes particularly relevant when public spaces connect places of worship with the city: in courtyards, squares, and surrounding streets, religious practices extend beyond the interior of the building and become expressions of pluralism and interaction between believers and non-believers. In Mexico, where nearly 80% of the population identifies as Catholic, the network of churches is embedded in a secular, pluralistic, and democratic constitutional framework, which requires the articulation of religion with equality and freedom of worship. Against this backdrop, the study analyzes 77 Catholic temples in Monterrey using an inductive and quantitative methodology, evaluating their location and relationship with their immediate surroundings. The results indicate that more than 80% have an atrium, as a threshold of transition between the religious and the urban; 31% are connected to squares, although in 24 cases they are within the parish grounds and operate as private spaces; and 59.74% incorporate fences or walls, conditioning access and community participation. It is concluded that the way in which the temple is inserted into the city shapes the visibility of religion and contributes to inclusive and pluralistic cities.