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 Ejutla:
Christ: Ecce Homo
Christ Mocked in the Pretorium
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows (Soledad)
Our Lady of the Assumption
St. Francis of Assisi
St. John the Evangelist
St. Mary Magdalene
Unidentified Dominican Saint
Unidentified Franciscan Saint (1)
Unidentified Franciscan Saint (2)
Virgin Mary in a coffin

Other santos not photographed
St. John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist:
The wig is new. The saint wears a yellow robe with a blue mantle. Beneath the cloth garments is a complete mannequin; the bare feet are exposed. The paint is in good condition.

Local Name: San Juan Evangelista.

Basis for Identification: Young face, long hair, mustache, palms up and eyes raised as if in prayer at the Cross.

Other characteristics: Five-o'clock shadow, yellow robe, blue cape.

Site: Church of San Miguel Ejutla.

Location: North wall of the nave, on the altar of the Soledad, left of that figure (see note).

Media and construction: Wood, gesso, paint, polyester garments. Eyes: glass, with lashes. Hair: long, full wig.

Size: About 4 feet (120 cm.)

Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Huitzo, Mitla (Calvary grouping) Ocotlán, Teotitlán, Teposcolula, Tlacolula.

External Links:
Wikimedia Commons: Statues of Saint John the Evangelist in Mexico
Catholic Encyclopedia: St. John the Evangelist
Wikipedia: John the Evangelist
Christian Iconography: Saint John the Evangelist

Next: On the same altar, to the right of the Soledad figure, a statue of St. Mary Magdalene.

Previous santo

Introduction to San Miguel Ejutla

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.