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 Tlacolula: Christ:
Ecce Homo |
Trinity (Throne of Mercy) |
Trinity (Throne of Mercy): This is the typical representation of the Trinity in the older Oaxaca churches. The dove is missing, but there is a bare place for it at the top of the cross. The statue seems to have been made for another base: the Father's shoes stick out beyond the base. Their soles are of unfinished wood, although the tips of the soles have been gessoed and painted. The beard is carved and stylized, with flat, symmetrical curls. The polychrome robe has a simple crosshatched pattern. The throne is a relatively simple chair of green painted wood, the back topped by a fantail design and the uprights by turned knobs.
Basis for Identification: Crucifix on a mappa mundi orb held up by the Father, seated and in a triple tiara. Site: Church of the Assumption, Tlacolula. Location: On a shelf on the south wall of the east transept of the Chapel (see note). Media and construction: Polychrome. Eyes: painted. Hair: carved. Size: About 3½ feet
(105 cm.) Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Diaz Ordaz, Mitla, Tamazulapan, Teitipac, Teotitlán, Xoxocotlán, Yanhuitlán 1, Yanhuitlán 2. External Links: Previous santo Introduction to Tlacolula 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.) In the case of the Chapel of the Lord of Tlacolula, which is at right angles to the south wall of the church, the altar is thus at the south end and the transept (the two wings that give the building the shape of a cross) comprises an east and west 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. |