Yucatán: The Mamá murals

We wind up our current series on colonial murals in Yucatán with a visit to 18th century church of Mamá:

Asuncion Mamá, near Mani, is a small Yucatecan town of cenotes, well houses and old irrigation channels, originally named like Tabí for a Mayan water goddess, (the suffix -a signifying water.)
   Appropriately, the Franciscan founders dedicated their mission to the Virgin of the Assumption, and when the church was taken over by the bishop of Yucatan in the early 1700s, it was expanded to serve as a Marian shrine. 

The imposing restored facade is densely ornamented with filigree carving that includes such Marian symbols as the sun, moon, stars and the crown of the Queen of Heaven—motifs that are repeated inside the church.
   Starting in 1999, conservation measures* have been under way to restore the colorful, colonial altarpieces along the nave, the majority of which were in poor condition. The restoration work is now complete, transforming this once dowdy interior into a brilliant display of colonial art works and furnishings.

During the conservation process, several religious images were found painted in lunettes above the retablos along the nave. Subsequently restored, they include, among others, a cross, a monstrance, a pierced heart and portrayals of the Lamb of God. 

The Sacristy Murals!
Perhaps the most surprising discovery during the restorations was the uncovering of several early colonial frescoes hidden for centuries behind coats of whitewash in the sacristy—part of the original 16th century mission here. 

Archangel and St. Clare 

 Reds, blues and ochers color the fragmentary images, which include representations of St. Christopher, St Anthony of Padua and the Virgin Mary. 

In addition to painted columns and floral decoration, there are portraits of Franciscans reading and writing, including San Bernardino de Siena and Duns Scotus—the noted defender of the Franciscan doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.  

St. Christopher and the Christ Child (fragments) 

Another item of special interest in the sacristy is this colorful box retablo also painted with the sun, moon and stars—a further connection with the church patron.

   Faint traces of colonial era murals have also been found in the rebuilt cloister, although now deteriorated to the point of being unidentifiable.

text & color images © 2018 Richard D. Perry

Yucatán: The Mani Murals

Mani, located 100 kms south of Mérida was the seat of the powerful Xiu Maya clan, early opponents and later allies of the Spanish. Following the conquest of Yucatán, Mani was logically chosen as the site for the first Franciscan mission in the region. The monastery of San Miguel is especially noted for its great open chapel and fine early retablos.

The Mani Murals

Since the 1990s much restoration work has taken place within the church and monastery precincts, during which many historic artworks, artifacts and architectural details have been uncovered, including murals.

   Until recently, apart from a few fragments, the Franciscan mural program at Mani was thought to be lost or minimal. During 2001 and 2002 however, several early colonial frescoes were discovered in both the church and convento, hidden behind altarpieces and layers of whitewash.

The Open Chapel

While a few traces of painting survive, no theme has been discerned, although it is tempting to speculate that at one time there were murals, perhaps related to the similar open chapel at Actopan.

 

The Apsidal Mural

The most spectacular find was an extraordinarily well preserved 16th century mural, uncovered behind the main altarpiece at the east end of the church. This large fresco, which fills the apse from floor to vault, took the form of a wall retablo and is believed to date from the late 1560s or 1570s?.

   The painted architectural framework of the fresco is Italianate in design—unusual for this early date. The two principal niches contain polychrome frescoes that portray the Stigmatization of St. Francis, and the Archangel Michael, patron saint of Mani, lancing Lucifer, that display animated design and confident execution.

    

   Still retaining their bright hues of red, blue/green and earth colors, these dynamic compositions convey a sense of drama remarkable for this early date, and may indicate the presence of a European artist at Mani.

   The painted pediment shows the Instruments of Christ's Passion together with the Franciscan insignia of The Five Wounds, enclosed in an ornate strapwork frame flanked by the archangels Gabriel and Raphael. Framed escutcheons of the Spanish royal arms are displayed on either side.

  

The apsidal vault above the main altar is also painted with colonial murals of a later date. Not yet fully restored and partly effaced they are nevertheless of high quality. The most complete section portrays the Virgin Mary in her blue robe emerging from clouds dotted with angels holding various objects.

The Nave Murals

In addition to the apsidal mural, as many as fourteen polychrome frescoes were re-discovered behind the 16th century side retablos of San Antonio de Padua and Dolores as they were being removed for restoration. 

   Some murals are well preserved but others were in poor condition. All are thought to date from the late 1500s—among the earliest yet found in Yucatan—and may have been executed by or under the tutelage of European artists. 

   Behind the San Antonio altarpieces, miniature scenes from the life of the saint unfold around the arch of the niche.  

     

The best preserved and most interesting of these murals adorn the niche behind the Dolorosa retablo on the north side of the nave They portray miracles associated with the Franciscan saint San Diego de Alcalá notably the Miracle of the Well and the Miracle of the Oven, illustrated in bright red, yellow and green hues.

 

Fragments of murals have also been recovered that formerly adorned the passage to the cloister and the cloister corridors, notably a tender scene of fine graphic detail depicting the Visitation between Mary and St. Elizabeth—probably one of a series of scenes in the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary.

One extant mural of unusual character, discovered in one of the cells adjoining the lower cloister, is this portrait of a red headed Franciscan surrounded by lamps or thuribles against a background of wavy bands of color. While the exact iconography is obscure, it may refer to the vision of Christ with seven lamp stands as related in the Apocalypse of St. John—a theme embraced by Franciscan mystics as also referring to St Francis.

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry.  

color images by the author, Niccolo Brooker and others.

Yucatán: The Teabo murals

The rambling mission of San Pedro y San Pablo Teabo is situated not far from Maní, and is best known for its exquisite 17th century altarpiece in the style of the Master of Maní. It is also home to two groups of colorful colonial frescoes. 

The Apsidal Frescoes 
The first consists of an large frieze like sequence extending along the upper side walls of the apse—the oldest part of the church. Possibly dating to the late 17th century, the mural consists of portraits of saints and friars alternating with large floral urns below a narrow, floral upper frieze. A wide range of reds, blues, greens and ochers enliven the mural.! 

The Sacristy Murals
The second group, probably dating from the 1650s, is located in the spacious sacristy and have been recently restored with more enthusiasm than finesse. The mural pattern follows that of the apsidal frescoes, depicting the Four Evangelists with their attributes and the Four Fathers of the Church, set in square frames interspersed with floral urns below a colorful frieze. Praying angels adorn the central archway. ! 

 

The portrait of St. Jerome with his lion, painted in vivid reds, blues, green and earth colors, is especially striking. 

 

St Gregory.                            St Augustine

  

St John the Evangelist;                         St Matthew

As at Cholul, angels disport around the archways.! 

look for our new post on the Teabo altarpiece

text & images © 2018 Richard D. Perry

Yucatán: The Cholul murals

Located just beyond the spreading suburbs of Mérida, the state capital, San Pedro Cholul is a colonial gem, its classic T-plan mission set in a meadow like atrium with two standing stone gateways. Like most of Yucatan's churches, Cholul started life as a simple 16th century open air chapel with a belfry and thatched ramada. This was succeeded in the 1600s by an imposing stone church—essentially the one we see today.

Cholul, the Sanctuary arch mural before restoration

During restorations * beginning in the 1990s, a dramatic variety of vivid polychrome murals was uncovered throughout the church, previously hidden beneath a 19th century whitewash cap. 

   Believed to date from the late 1600s or early 1700s, this group of recently restored frescoes is dominated by a visionary scene of the Coronation of the Virgin. In a complex composition reminiscent of the doorway mural of the Virgin of Izamal as well as those of the apsidal fresco at Dzidzantún, this mural originally spanned the entire archway above the sanctuary—formerly the open chapel and now the apse of the church.

   Mary is shown seated at center surrounded by the Holy Trinity and accompanied by a celebrating multitude of apostles, musical angels and other religious figures rendered in a forthright folkloric style. 

Cholul, the Sanctuary arch mural after restoration

The Apsidal Murals
Beyond the sanctuary arch in the apse itself, several other mural passages have been revealed, some superimposed on earlier painting, including the remains of a painted wall retablo. Blue robed angels appear on the decorated side walls.
The most notable surviving fragments include polychrome scenes of saints Peter and Paul undergoing martyrdom.

 

The Painted Arches
Peter and Paul reappear in their more customary poses beneath the sanctuary arch below what seems to be a Garden of Eden scene including the voluptuous figure of Eve? amidst a riot of tropical vegetation.

  

Processions of much retouched saints and martyrs line the piers and arches along the nave, along with angels bearing the Instruments of the Passion. The bold placement, vigorous draftsmanship and rich coloration of these figures is enhanced by the addition of greens and yellows to the usual palette of reds and blues.

 

    

In addition to the figural murals, segments survive of colorful friezes and painted niches.

Cholul, cactus frieze

* Restorations were completed during 2005 and 2006 by INAH Yucatan under the direction of maestro Fernando Garcés Fierros with the patronage of the active Yucatán chapter of Adopte una Obra de Arte

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry
images courtesy of Adopte, Niccolo Brooker & Robert Jackson