Santos in Oaxaca's Ancient Churches
A study of santos in 16th-century and other churches in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Claire and Richard Stracke. Funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.
Santos in Oaxaca's Ancient ChurchesA study of santos in 16th-century and other churches in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Claire and Richard Stracke. Funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. |
The Ayuxi Chapel of Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán |
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Above the town of is a calvary and an important chapel. Señor Ventura explained the following: the town of Yanhuitlán has eight neighborhoods: Ayuxi, Tindé, Ticó, Sayufu, Ticoi, Yuuchanó, Vanná, and Chaticoi; each neighborhood had a mayordomía. Each mayordomía had a special devotion to the Christ who is the Señor de la Misericordia and so each one had a special crucifix. Because the feast of the archangels was also important to Yanhuitlán, mayordomías were named for the archangels and each one had a statue representing its santo. Señor Ventura, a guard whom we met at the museum in the former convent, told us that today five of these crucifixes and angels, those belonging to defunct mayordomías, are in the Convento museum, and two are in the church. The most famous of all, the magnificent Divino Señor de Ayuxi, is in the Calvary chapel, a half-mile from the great church of Santo Domingo, along Calle Aldama.
Wood, gesso, paint; wig; fabric loincloth and metal scutum; metal crown of thorns; 7'. The crucifix looks old. Much blood flows from the five wounds and from large lesions at the knees. The skin is purple around these lesions, and around the wound in the side. The sheen of the skin is realistic. The scutum has a golden color and is set in an unusual vertical position behind the pelvis. On the head is a one-piece metal combination cruciform halo and crown of thorns, also in a golden color. Location: Glass case centered on the main altar of the Ayuxi chapel |
