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 the church of Santo
Domingo Yanhuitlán: Christ
carrying the Cross Tour of the Ayuxi Chapel |
Virgin Mary, most likely Our Lady
of Sorrows (Soledad) |
Virgin
Mary: There is little sheen to the skin, and the whole figure is rather stylized.
Basis for Identification: Dark garments, sunburst diadem, looking down at white cloth in clasped hands. – The hands of Soledad figures are often held this way holding a cloth (Coixtlahuaca and Teposcolula) or a lily (Etla, Teposcolula2, Tilantongo, Zimatlan), or in the case of Huitzo a bouquet wrapped in cloth. Site: Church of Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán. Location: Centered in the retablo at the east end of the north wall of the nave (see note). Media and construction: Wood, gesso, paint, fabric garments. Size: About 5 feet (150 cm.) Comparable santos in Oaxaca (Soledad): Achiutla, Santa Ana del Valle, Coixtlahuaca, Cuilapan, Ejutla, Etla, Huitzo, Mitla, Teotitlán, Teposcolula1, Teposcolula2, Tilantongo, Xoxocotlán, Zimatlán. External Link: Previous santo Introduction to the church at Yanhuitlán 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. |