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 Santiago Tilantongo:

Christ
Christ: Ecce Homo
Christ seated in the pretorium
Crucifix 1
Crucifix 2
Holy Week Group (3 santos)
Our Lady of Sorrows (Soledad)
St. James as Moor-slayer 1
St. James as Moor-slayer 2
St. James as Moor-slayer 3
St. James as pilgrim
St. Sebastian
Virgin Mary 1
Virgin Mary 2

Holy Week Group

Holy Week Group

Site: Church of Santiago Tilantongo.

Location: On a table in the first bay of the north wall of the nave (see note).


Palm Sunday Christ

Basis for Identification: Ass, cruciform halo.

Other characteristics: White robe, gold mantle, gold rein.

Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Santa Ana del Valle, Cuilapan, Mitla, Ocotlán, Díaz Ordaz, Tamazulapan, Teitipac, Teotitlán, Teposcolula, Tlacolula, Yanhuitlán.

External Link:
Metropolitan Museum Art: Palmesel


Our Lady of the Rosary

Basis for Identification: Blue robe, Christ Child in left arm, rosary hanging from right hand.

Other characteristics: Tan veil.

Site: Church of Santiago Tilantongo.

Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Achiutla, Coixtlahuaca, Cuilapan, Teitipac1, Teitipac2,
Teotitlán, Teposcolula, Xoxocotlán.

External Links:
Wikimedia Commons: Statues of Our Lady of the Rosary in Mexico
Wikipedia: Our Lady of the Rosary
Christian Iconography: Our Lady of the Rosary


Our Lady of Sorrows

Local Name: La Madre de los Dolores.

Basis for Identification: Praying hands, uplifted eyes, blue mantle.

Other characteristics: Cross on chest.

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: Moving to the transept (see note) we find an "Ecce Homo" santo.

Previous santo

Introduction to Tilantongo

Santos Home Page

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 "transept" is the part of the building that crosses the nave so that the whole building has the shape of a cross.

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.