Santos in Oaxaca's Ancient Churches

A study of santos in 16th-century and other churches in Oaxaca, Mexico


By Claire and Richard Stracke
Funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation

In San Lorenzo Zimatlán:

Christ carrying the Cross
Christ fallen with the Cross
Crucifix
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows (Soledad)
Sacred Heart of Jesus
St. Isidore the Laborer
St. John the Baptist
Virgin Mary

Other santos not photographed
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows:
This statue is in good condition, but the skin of the face, hands, and feet has changed color to an unfortunate gray-green tinge, usually a sign that the paint is from the 16th century.

Basis for Identification: The prominent red heart is associated with Immaculate Heart of Mary figures, but the statue is otherwise in the tradition of Our Lady of Sorrows, with the upcast sorrowful gaze, the sunburst halo, and the mantle covering all of the head except the face.

Site: Church of San Lorenzo Zimatlán.

Media and construction: Eyes: glass. Sculpted teeth.

Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Achiutla, Santa Ana del Valle, Coixtlahuaca, Cuilapan1, Cuilapan2, Ejutla, Mitla, Nochixtlán, Ocotlán, Díaz Ordaz, Tamazulapan, Teitipac, Teotitlán, Teposcolula (in Calvary group), Tlacolula, Xoxocotlán, Yanhuitlán (?).

External Links:
Wikimedia Commons: Mater dolorosa
Wikipedia: Our Lady of Sorrows
Christian Iconography: Mater Dolorosa, The Sorrowful Mother
Next: Another statue of the Virgin Mary

Previous santo

Introduction to San Lorenzo Zimatlán

Santos Home Page

The photo shown here is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. You are free to share or remix it on two conditions: first, that you attribute it to the photographers, Claire and Richard Stracke, without implying any approval of your work on their part; second, that if you alter, transform, or build upon this photo, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.