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 Teotitlán del
Valle: Christ
Child |
Crucifix |
Crucifix The figure is eloquently executed. The slender face expresses both exhaustion and repose. The midsection is somewhat stylized and symmetrical, the ribs forming an elegant and symmetrical, though unrealistic, frame around the sunken abdomen. The arms look stretched to their breaking point, the sockets jutting forth and the tendons rigid beneath the skin. The left shin is angled to suggest the breaking of Christ's legs, and blood flows from the five wounds and from deep lesions at the knees; yet the thinness and linearity of the streams imparts a reticence to the total effect. There is a loincloth of wood, gesso, and paint beneath the fabric loincloth. Local Name: El Señor de la
Misericordia. Basis for Identification: Crown of thorns in basketweave pattern, red loincloth with red scutum. Site: Church of Santa María
de la Natividad (Preciosa Sangre de Cristo),
Teotitlán del Valle. Location: In the center of the retablo of the first large altar along the south wall of the nave (see note). Media and construction: Wood, gesso, paint, fabric loincloth and scutum. Eyes: closed, no lashes. Hair: wig. Closed mouth. Size: Over 6 feet (180 cm.) Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Achiutla, Santa Ana del Valle1, Santa Ana del Valle2, Santa Ana del Valle3, Cuilapan, Etla, Guelavia, Mitla, Nochixtlán, Tamazulapan1, Tamazulapan2, Teitipac1, Teitipac2, Teitipac3, Teitipac Our Lady of the Rosary, Teotitlán1, Teposcolula1, Teposcolula2, Teposcolula3 (in Rosary case), Teposcolula Convento1, Teposcolula Convento2, Tilantongo1, Tilantongo2, Tlacolula1, Tlacolula2, Xoxocotlán1, Xoxocotlán2, Xoxocotlán3, Xoxocotlán4, Yanhuitlán1, Yanhuitlán2, Yanhuitlán Convento1, Yanhuitlán Convento2, Yanhuitlán Convento3, Yanhuitlán Convento4, Yanhuitlán Convento5, Yanhuitlán Ayuxi Chapel, Zimatlán. External Links: Next: On
the right end of this altar, a statue of St. John the
Evangelist Introduction to Teotitlán del
Valle 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.
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