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 |
St. Mary Magdalene |
Saint Mary Magdalene: The face and hands lack detailing and have a rubbery look. There has been some discoloration to the fingers and the back of the left hand, and the right pinkie is broken. This may be a frame-type statue. Local Name: La Santa Magdalena. Basis for Identification: Long,
golden hair; halo; upcast eyes; hands crossed at wrists
over chest. Other characteristics: Purple robe, gold cape. Site: Church of Santa María
de la Natividad (Preciosa Sangre de Cristo),
Teotitlán del Valle. Location: In a showcase (without glass) on the first of the two altars along the south wall of the narthex (see note). Media and construction: Wood, gesso, paint. Eyes: glass eyes. Hair: wig. Sculpted teeth. Size: Life size. Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Achiutla, Coixtlahuaca, Ejutla, Huitzo, Ocotlán, Tamazulapan, Teposcolula. External Links: Next: Also
in the narthex, a Palm Sunday Christ 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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