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 the church of Santa Elena de la Cruz, Xoxocotlán

Angels
Christ: Ecce Homo
Crucifix 1
Crucifix 2
Crucifix 3
Crucifix 4
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of  Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows (Soledad)
Our Lady of the Rosary 1 and 2
St. Mary Magdalene: see Our Lady of Sorrows
St. Helena
St. John: see Our Lady of Sorrows
St. Sebastian: see Our Lady of the Rosary
St. Therese of Lisieux
Trinity
Unidentified saint

Other santos not photographed
Unidentified Franciscan Saint
Unidentified Franciscan saint:
The head faces rigidly forward on the long neck. The ears are prominent. The face has a very pronounced blush and a high sheen. The extended hands are carefully carved and well preserved. The right hand is palm-up and could have held something; the left is thumb-up with fingers curved.

Basis for Identification: Franciscan brown habit with cape, knotted cord cincture, tonsure, halo.

Site: Church of Santa Elena de la Cruz, Xoxocotlán.

Media and construction: Wood, gesso, paint; carved garments.

Next: An "Ecce Homo" santo
Previous santo

Introduction to Xoxocotlán

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.