Ruta Dominica (Dominican Route) of Oaxaca: San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Church West Façade

The work of colonial-era Mixtec stone-carvers and artisans lives untouched in this old monastery in the Mixteca Alta.  This mountainous area, the Mixteca Alta, lying to the northwest of Oaxaca City is home to a group of great 16th century Dominican monasteries built long ago to further the evangelization of Oaxaca. One of them, the magnificent Santo Domingo de Yanhuitlan, has already been explored in this blog (May 20, 2013). The  long (1/12-2 hours) car ride to this rugged area is worthwhile and can be done as a day trip.  San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca is the earliest and least changed of the great Dominican monasteries of the Mixteca Alta.  The Dominicans arrived here in the 1540's and by 1570 the buildings were completed. (note: please click on photos and they will enlarge).

Grounds-plan:

All the monasteries were built in a similar pattern. The open chapel was the first structure to rise up, built to further the evangelization of a people who did not have a concept of indoor worship,  then the church and the cloister (convento) to house the monks. Looking head on at the Coixtlahuaca complex, the hexagonal open chapel is seen at the very left, separated by a small distance from the church, which is next to it, viewer-right, and next to and attached to the church is the monastery's convento or cloister, the monks' residence. At a distance from the church/convento complex was what was called the casa de la cacica or in the Mixtec language, tecpan, something not seen in other areas of Oaxaca.  In the Mixtec- controlled areas, the local indigenous nobility still played a significant role in the early colonial community and this tecpan was built to house the local chief. In general, this person was the first to convert to Christianity and his presence on the monastery grounds was a symbolic encouragement for his people to follow suit and accept the new religion.


                                                     

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Open Chapel

San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca,  North façade of church

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Convento entrance

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Church seen from interior courtyard of convento

Open Chapel:

This chapel, built in 1546, was the earliest part of the monastery.  The polygonal vault which once covered it has collapsed and it is now open to the sky.

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Open Chapel

The chapel is characterized by bands of tequitqui carving, a syncretic style that included both indigenous and Christian symbols. Tequitqui carving tended to have a flattened appearance resembling that of pre-Hispanic carving styles.  

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Open Chapel rib detail

In the following photo eagle-like pelicans intertwine with plumed rattlesnakes.

San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca, Open Chapel rib carving

The presence of the indigenous symbols in this new house of worship was powerful for the new converts forming a bridge to their old religion and its temples.

The Church:

Exterior:

The church building is not ornamented apart from its two doors.  The north door was the one  used in processions in the early Colonial period.

San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca, West Façade of Church

                                       

Three large statues are carved above the door in a style that clearly reflects the work of the indigenous carvers. St. John the Baptist, the monastery's patron saint, is in the center flanked by Saints Peter and Paul. Above these is a Gothic rose window with intricate carving on either side. 

San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca, North Façade of  Church

On both sides of the upper façade are intricate carvings of the elements of Christ's Passion, as seen in the photo below.                                        
                                             

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, North Façade - Elements of the Passions

                                                

The west door and facade are more classical in style, but contain tequitqui elements.
In particular, the triangular element above the door consists of the Spanish coat of arms 
surrounded by the two-headed Hapsburg eagle, an animal that had strong indigenous resonance. The church has a single tower.

   

San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca, West Façade

                                                      

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, North Door of Church

                                                   

                                                   

Interior:

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Church Interior seen from Choir

                                                                                                       

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Main Retablo

                                                       

This main retablo has fourteen painted panels many of which are attributed to Andres de Concha a Spanish master from Seville.  Simon Peyrens, the Flemish sculptor, may have done some of the carving on the altarpiece.  Here is the arrangement of the paintings in this retablo, from the top down, in rows: (photo will enlarge when clicked).

                                                              God the Father

                                                    St. Anne, Trinity, St. Joachim

                                                    Ascension, Crucifixion, Resurrection

                                                    Presentation in the Temple, Three Kings

                                                    Adoration of the Shepherds, Annunciation

Church Ceiling:

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Church Ceiling

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Church ceiling ribbing

                                                                 

                        

      

San Juan Bautista, Coixlahuaca, Church ceiling Roof Boss

                                                                                     

The church's ribbed ceiling is unique with the molded, painted ribs and the tequitqui carved roof bosses. Each contains miniature portraits of saints and their symbols.  

The Convento:

The convento is located alongside the church building of the Coixtlahuaca monastery.
Only the lower is intact, although it is possible to visit parts of the upper level which over the years has been damaged by earthquakes.  Some reconstruction is on-going on this second level.

                               

                                             

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Convento entrance

                                                

                                                

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Convento Door and Façade

                                                 

The convento is located directly next to the church and the two buildings share a wall.

                                              

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Church-Convento shared wall

                                              

San Juan Bautista, Coixlahuaca, Convento Courtyard

As many early colonial Mexican buildings, Coixtlahuaca's convento shows mudejar  (derived from Islamic architecture ) details in features of the building such as the door and window below.

    

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Convento Corridor

          

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Convento Mudejar-style Door

             

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Mudejar Window

In parts of the Coixtlahuaca convento, remnants of the original wall frescos remain.

                

San Juan Bautista, Coixlahuaca, original fresco 

                                                        

The Tecpan:

The building in the old photograph below, the tecpan or casa de la cacica, was the home of the indigenous noble who led the community and encouraged the conversion effort.  This building, which no longer exists, was torn down and the bricks used to build another building for the modern community. It was built with considerable ornamental detail, as can be seen in the second photo.

San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca, Tecpan (no longer in existence)

San Juan Coixtlahuaca, Tecpan architectural detail

         

Although the neighboring monastery at Yanhuitlan has been elegantly restored and the one at Teposcolula is undergoing extensive restoration, San Juan Bautista, Coixtlahuaca retains an aura of authenticity because it has not been restored.   I visited both Coixtlahuaca and Teposcolula in the same day and the former, by far, was my favorite.  INAH, the Mexican government bureau which oversees archaeological and historical sites, has a representative in all major monasteries.  Here, at Coixtlahuaca, this representative was extremely gracious and helpful and unlocked the choir loft of the church giving me the chance to access an incredible perspective on the old church as well as offering information and photos of the no longer existant tecpan.                                                                                       

Fortress Monasteries: San Augustín, Acolman, MX

San Augustín, Acolman,  is one of the "Fortress Monasteries" of Mexico.  These monasteries, largely dating from the 16th century, resemble European-style fortresses, although none of them ever served this purpose.  These buildings were meant to impress the Indian converts, to be a symbol of the might of Christianity the new religion. These buildings had to compete for grandeur with the temples and pyramids that had for centuries been a part of the meso-american landscape. In short, the friars needed to demonstrate the power of the new Christian God and these fortress-churches were a part of that. 

 For an in-depth discussion of the history and architecture of Fortress Monasteries, please read my recent post on the monastery in Actopan, MX. Here is the link:  http://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2014/06/mexicos-fortress-monasteries-san.htm  

The fortress-like crenellations can be seen on the roof-line of the building as well as on the outer-wall.  Acolman is located in the state of Mexico and is a 45 minute drive from Mexico City.

Ex-Convento of San Augustín, Acolman, MX

Ex-Convento of San Augustín, Acolman, MX

Crenellated outer wall, San Augustín, Acolman, MX

This monastery had a double life; in the 1520's it was a small, primitive Franciscan mission and in 1530 it was given over to the Augustinian order.  Their monastery,San Augustín, was built between 1529-60, although the older more primitive structure was left standing and the old cloister and Open Chapel were incorporated into the new, enlarged building.    The old cloister, built of rough stone, can still be seen and the elevated Open Chapel is a part of it.

Patio of Old Cloister with Cross

The open chapels, or Indian Chapels as they came to be called were where religious services for the newly-Christian indigenous peoples were held. The people would stand outside the building in the large atrium (walled-in outer grounds) of the monastery and hear sermons  preached from open chapels.  Indoor worship was unknown to the native meso-american peoples and services within churches were something that came later in the evangelization process. The Acolman open chapel contains a very old wall mural of St. Catherine of Alexandria beheading the king of Egypt.  

Open Chapel (Indian Chapel), San Augustiín, Acolman, MX

Mural of St. Catherine of Alexandria, San Augustín, Acolman, MX 

 

View of atrium from open chapel, San Augustín, Acolman, MX

The newer cloister was built on a much grander scale than the original more primitive one.

Patio of large cloister, San Augustín, Acolman, MX

Patio of large cloister, San Augustín,Acolman, MX

The cloisters were the part of the monastery that housed the monks and their staff and it is possible for contemporary visitors to walk through their halls.  The building contains fabulous murals on many walls and ceilings that are characteristic of Augustinian monasteries of the period.  

Monastery hall with elaborately painted ceiling, St. Augustín, Acolman, MX

Mural of Crucifixion, St. Augustín, Acolman, MX

Mural depicting Heaven and Hell,  St. Augustín, Acolman, MX

The atrial cross at Acolman is a "plumed cross" and contains much iconographic complexity that is not immediately evident.   The crosses in these early monasteries were never of the type displaying the crucified body of Jesus.  That would have been far too provocative to a people whose native religion so heavily involved human sacrifice.  As in the Acolman cross, the early crosses often showed the instruments of the Passion, the  arma christi (please click on photo to enlarge it) and not the whole body of Jesus, but his face alone.  This latter feature was typical of the Augustinian order and resembled the face of Jesus on Veronica's veil.  

Atrial Cross, St. Augustín, Acolman, MX

Crosses were a symbol shared by both the Christian and mesoamerican cosmologies and the cross at Acolman is a subtle mix of pre-Columbian and Christian symbols. It is called a plumed cross because of the feather-like endings of its horizontal arms. Some European crosses have foliate decoration on the arms, but in the hands of the indigenous stone-carvers who made the crosses like the one above, these became feathers.  To the Aztecs and other mesoamerican groups, feathers were a symbol of royalty and divinity and they were being taught that Christ was the new king and ruler of all.  The cross here stands on a small sepulcher with the grieving Virgin Mary seated outside.

  

Please note that at the time of the photos, San Augustín was still decorated for the Christmas season- those are symbolic stars hanging from the ceiling and part of a Nativity Scene can be seen in the second photo.

Church of San Augustín, Acolman, MX

Church Wall Murals, San Augustín, Acolman

The wall murals in the church display various personalities in the Augustinian order ranging from friars to bishops and archbishops.  Towards the top various Old Testament prophets have been included as well as Saints Peter, Paul, and Simon. 

Bishops in wall murals, San Augustín, Acolman, MX

The murals were part of the larger effort by the Christian newcomers to impress their indigenous  converts with their significance.   In the murals the Augustinians are shown along with prophets and saints,  which certainly would have enhanced their prestige in the eyes of the converts.  Recall, that these images were not just  decoration, but were a statement to on-lookers, that proclaimed the scope and power of the Augustinian order.

Remember that the new Christian religion, although it had the power of the Spanish crown behind it, still had to win over the minds of the converts.  Part of the task of the friars was to communicate to the people the idea that the Christian God  was more powerful than the old gods; art and architecture played a central role in this process.