Totolapan: El Cristo Aparecido mural?

This is the first of two posts on the early murals of San Guillermo Totolapan,* the second Augustinian house to be established in Mexico, founded in 1534 by Fr. Jorge de Avila, the “Apostle of Hidalgo.” 
   The church and the community are probably best known for their venerable 16th century crucifix, El Cristo Aparecido de Totolapan, brought here, according to legend, by an angel during the priorate of Fray Antonio de Roa, another celebrated Augustinian missionary.

The plain 16th century church front was replaced in the 1700s when its severity was softened by the more elegant lines of a lofty west porch, rose window and undulating espadaña. The portería, long bricked up, has been reopened giving access to the cloister.
The Murals
As at Tlayacapan, 16th century frescoes once covered virtually every surface inside the convento. They combine biblical scenes with ecclesiastical portraits, drawn in warm grisaille with a variety of subdued color washes and accents.

 Although they are now much deteriorated, the surviving fragments still manage to convey some of the original sweep of the mural program and its excellent draftsmanship.

The Vestibule (anteportería)
One ambiguous fresco in this area, currently in poor condition, presents a complex scene with trees, buildings, crucifixes and figures, including friars and Indians, rendered in a dark monochrome leavened by ocher and orange details.

While the subject is unclear, intriguingly, it may refer to the miraculous origin of the famous local crucifix, possibly depicting Fray Antonio de Roa, on the left, facing a white robed, aquarian figure lit by a heavenly beam. 

the mural inscription (detail)

The remnant inscription in the upper left of the scene, which refers in part to Augustinian martyrs, may better clarify the subject of this distinctive fresco when restored.
Comments welcome!
* Note: the church was badly damaged during the 9/19 Mexican earthquake. No word yet on the fate of the many valuable murals there. Stay tuned.

text © 2017 Richard D. Perry

images courtesy of Robert Jackson and Niccolo Brooker

Tlayacapan: Three more early murals

In a previous post on the extensive Tlayacapan murals, we looked at an unusual triptych in the former anteporteria of the convento.
   In this follow up post on other murals there we start with another unusual mural on the north wall in this same area, also conceived in the form of a triptych.

In the center panel the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven holds the Christ Child, who gestures towards the mitered St. Augustine beside him. Augustine holds his traditional bishop's crozier and a (flaming?) heart. Mary is flanked by her parents, Saints Joachim and Anne, portrayed life size in painted niches on either side. 
   Although in poor condition, this monochrome mural skillfully  accentuates the detailed contours of the costumes and draperies of the figures, based on a northern European print source.

Two Crucifixion scenes
The first mural is set in the lunette above the entry to the Sala de Profundis inside the convento. Christ on the cross is accompanied by the two thieves, Dismas and Gestas, tied to crosses on either side. Devils and angels hover over the pair.  
   A local landscape of trees and distinctive outcroppings is spread out behind, while the sun and moon shine in darkened sky above.  Saints Peter and Paul appear in painted shell niches on the inner archway of the entry.
   In contrast to the boldly drawn outlines of the earlier triptych, the figures here are more softly molded, and shaded in a warmer tones, with the crosses accented in a now faded red.

A second Crucifixion also appears in a lunette on the end wall of the convento museum, the former refectory. Here, the crucified Christ is alone, although curiously observed by kneeling saints on either side partially hidden behind trees—possibly Peter and Paul again. Birds and animals cavort in the heavily wooded background. 

   And the treatment of the figures is closer to the earlier triptych in style, with an emphasis on sharper outlines and realistic details of foliage, etc.

text © 2017 Richard D. Perry

images by the author and ©Robert Jackson

Please visit our sister site for details on the barrio chapels of Tlayacapan, and earthquake damage there.

Tlayacapan: a triptych

Fray Diego Durán, an early Augustinian chronicler, described Tlayacapan as a "veritable Garden of Eden." A wild and romantic place, located in northern Morelos state just below Mexico City, it is surrounded by the scenic, basalt bluffs of the Sierra Tepozteca.  
   The mission here started out modestly in 1534 as a visita of nearby Totolapan, but within twenty years the little stone chapel had grown into a major priory in its own right. 

An impressive structure, the church and adjacent convento are enclosed by a spacious walled atrium. Together with the wealth of early murals in the church and throughout the convento, Tlayacapan is artistically one of the most rewarding of the Morelos monasteries to visit. *

On the north side of the church, a long arcade stretches in front of the convento. Behind the largest archway lies the former open chapel, the oldest section of the monastery.

The Open Chapel

Two, large side rooms open beside the chapel’s vaulted sanctuary. Large fragments of 16th century murals adhere to the walls of this area, or anteporteria—the first group in a series of remarkable frescoes at Tlayacapan. 

In this post we focus on one of the better preserved of the murals, an unusual triptych on the east wall. Executed in the style of the Renaissance engravings from which they were freely adapted, the monochrome frescoes illustrate three key biblical episodes relating to the birth and early life of Christ.

On the right, the smallest panel depicts the Visitation (Luke 1:39-56). Mary greets Elizabeth, the aging mother-to-be of John the Baptist, beneath a portrait of her husband the prophet Zacharias—to our knowledge a unique portrayal in early mural art. 
   An outcropping of the distinctive regional Sierra Tepozteca is seen in the landscape behind.

Above the center doorway is another rare portrayal: the Dream of Joseph after he discovers Mary's pregnancy (Matthew 1:19/20.) 

   An angel hovers in a cloud above the sleeping man, saying "Arise Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife." 

In the background is a building complex, presumably the monastery of Tlayacapan.

The largest panel depicts The Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2: 23-24) on the left, showing the infant Jesus in the arms of a sumptuously attired rabbi. To his right, Mary and Joseph pray, accompanied by a group of draped figures who crowd through the doors of the Temple—all drawn in precise detail. Again, a hilltop church appears though the archway behind.

Grotesque style borders magnify the impact of the murals. Mythical creatures—part man, part lion, part fish and part plant—cavort along the walls, symbolizing life in all its aspects. 

Stylistically, the murals and friezes are similar to those at Oaxtepec, just down the road and may be the work of the same itinerant group of artists. 
* Tlayacapan was one of the worst hit communities by the September 19 earthquake—see our main blog. There is no word yet on how the extensive convento murals have fared.
Look for details on the many barrio chapels at Tlayacapan in forthcoming posts on our main site.

text © 2017 Richard D. Perry

images by the author except where noted

San Pedro Etla: the cloister murals

As an addendum to our series on the murals of Oaxaca * we now look at the unusual cloister murals of San Pedro Etla.

The grand mission of San Pedro Etla dominates the Etla Valley, north of the state capital. Its vast church, twice the size of neighboring Huitzo and notable for its imposing front and massively buttressed nave, was only completed in the early 1600s.

The convento boasts a long, arcaded porteria and a handsome cloister in classic Dominican style with tall, vaulted arcades faced with projecting "prow" buttresses. While the lower cloister may once have borne frescoes along the walks, no traces now remain. 

However, the cloister is noted for its four spectacular corner vaults, which offer a brilliant display of intricate baroque stucco work in the Pueblan style, similar to those at Santo Domingo in the capital, encrusted with Dominican fleur-de-lis crosses set in ornate cartouches.

Below the vaults, painted portraits of apostles and Dominican saints & martyrs appear in the eight supporting lunettes. These include eminent saints like St. Peter and St. Andrew, together with lesser figures like St. Ambrose of Siena, Blessed Henry Suso, Blessed Ceslaus of Poland, and even St. Elmo holding a ship.

   Here we illustrate six of these portraits, all dressed in Dominican habits and wearing rosaries:

 

St. Elmo;                                                            St. Ambrose of Siena;

 

Blessed Henry Suso;                                                   Blessed (Wen)Ceslaus of Poland; 

 

St. Vincent Ferrer?                                                          Blessed Jacobo Salomoni

* Santo Domingo de Oaxaca; Santiago Cuilapan.

text & images © 2016 Richard D. Perry, except where noted.

closeups of individual saints © Niccolo Brooker