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 San Miguel Achiutla:

Christ at the Pillar
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
Resurrected Christ

Resurrected Christ:
The white robe is unusual in a statue of the resurrected Christ. The hair is chipped badly at the right, but otherwise the body is in good condition.

Basis for Identification: Stigmata, vexillum (the pennant at the top of which is not shown here).

Other characteristics: White robe, artificial roses pinned to the robe at the chest, flower-like gauze construction tied to the right hand and to the top of the vexillum, red fabric pennant trimmed with gold stitching.

Site: Church of San Miguel Achiutla.

Location: Second altar along the north wall of the nave (see note).

Media and construction: Wood, gesso, paint, fabric robe and pennant. Eyes: glass, with lashes. Hair: carved.

Size: About 3 feet (90 cm.)

Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Santa Ana del Valle, Cuilapan, Mitla, Teitipac, Teotitlán, TeposcolulaYanhuitlán, Zaachila.

External Links:
Wikimedia Commons: Statues of Resurrection of Christ in Mexico
Catholic Encyclopedia: Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Wikipedia: Resurrection of Jesus
Christian Iconography: The Resurrection

Next: On an altar at the east end of the north wall, St. Rose of Lima

Previous santo

Introduction to San Miguel Achiutla

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 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.