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
Santiago Cuilapan: |
Resurrected Christ |
Resurrected Christ The body is of a workingman with powerful legs and a wiry torso. The expression is haughty, the eyes slanted, almost East Asian. The white loincloth is decorated with wide checkerboards of golden crosses within golden borders, broken by vertical bands of feathery arabesques. The flesh and hair have been repainted, leaving little gloss, especially on the face. The musculature is remarkably detailed and lifelike, perhaps facilitated by the use of corn or cane paste in construction. The vexillum is tied to the left hand. The left index finger has been crudely repaired. The three-flame halo is missing the center flame. Basis for Identification: Raised right hand, loincloth, vexillum, stigmata on hands and chest, halo, no scutum. Site: Basilica of Santiago Cuilapan.
Location: On an andas in the second bay of the north wall of the nave (see note). Media and construction: Hollow construction. White and gold polychrome loincloth beneath white polyester apron. Hair: carved. Eyes: painted. Closed mouth. Size: About 4 feet (120 cm.) Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Achiutla, Santa Ana del Valle, Mitla, Teitipac, Teotitlán, Teposcolula, Yanhuitlán, Zaachila. External Links: Next:
Moving ahead to the 3rd bay in the north wall, a statue of the Sacred
Heart. Introduction to Santiago Cuilapan 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.
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