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