Santos in Oaxaca's Ancient ChurchesA 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 Miguel Achiutla: Christ carrying the Cross Crucifix Our Lady of Sorrows (Soledad) Our Lady of the Rosary Resurrected Christ Sacred Heart of Jesus + Christ Child St. John the Baptist St. Joseph St. Michael (1) St. Michael (2) St. Michael (3) St. Michael (4) St. Peter of Verona (Peter Martyr) St. Rose of Lima St. Sebastian Unidentified Dominican saint Unidentified saint Virgin Mary Altar Virgin Mary in White |
Christ Carrying the Cross
|
Christ
Carrying
the Cross:
This is an unusual statue. The figure has abnormally long hands and an elongated face. The cross is only half as high as the figure and is also unusual in being a combination of two common, and one would think incompatible, designs. Like dowel-and-endcap crosses, it is painted a vivid green, has brass endcaps, and is distinctly abstract. But it also resembles another type common in Oaxaca, the more realistic tree-like cross with a rough surface and cut-off "branches." This cross has such "branches," but they are hardly realistic, having the same vivid green as the main crosspieces, and the same brass endcaps and thick dowel shape. Basis for Identification: Cross, crown of thorns, purple robe Site: The Church of San Miguel
Achiutla Location: In a glass case on the second altar along the north wall of the nave (see note). Media and construction: Wood, gesso, paint. Eyes: painted. Teeth: sculpted. Size: About 6 feet (185 cm.) Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Cuilapan,
Tlaxiaco,
Yanhuitlán,
Zimatlán. External Links: Next: On the same altar, Christ at the Pillar Introduction to San Miguel
Achiutla Note: On
this
site,
references to the cardinal directions always assume
that the main altar is at the east end of the church,
the narthex or entry area at the west end, and the two
walls
of the nave on the
north and south. (The
nave is the long central section.)
Actual orientations may differ. 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. |