This is the first of two posts on portrayals of St. Sebastian in Mexican colonial art. This post focuses mainly on depictions of the saint in early mural art.
Reportedly a Roman officer sentenced to be executed by arrows during the Christian persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian in the fourth century, this early Christian saint and martyr, is popularly depicted in Christian art, and also commonly features in Mexican colonial painting and sculpture.
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| Cholula |
He is customarily portrayed as a young man tied almost naked to a post or tree, often with one arm upraised, and transfixed by arrows, often accompanied by the bowmen.
In Mexico, Sebastian was seen as a protector against the plague, and his popularity may also relate in part to his visual connection with traditional Aztec arrow sacrifice (tlacacaliztli). He was also prominent among the patron saints of Puebla.
The saint is depicted in a number of early, largely 16th century murals in monastery precincts, of which we display a selection below:
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| Culhuacan |
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| Metepec |
Oxtoticpac Tepeyanco
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| Tepeapulco |
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| Tepeji del Rio |
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| Tula |
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| Zinacantepec |
Portraits of St Sebastian continued later into the colonial period, some in traditional style but others more stylized, some reflecting underlying homoerotic sentiments and taste.
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| by Miguel de Mendoza (San Cristóbal Suchixtlahuaca) |
Our second post, which deals with the depiction of the saint in sculptural images will be found on our sister blog.
text © 2019 Richard D. Perry
color images by the author, Niccolo Brooker and online sources
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