mexicosmurals: Calpan: the posa murals

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Calpan: the posa murals

On our sister site we describe in detail the celebrated, sculpted posa chapels of San Andrés Calpan. Unfortunately virtually nothing now remains of the murals that once enlivened the convento or the chapels, although a few fragments of their decoration survive.

Like those at Huejotzingo, the posa interiors were once richly ornamented with colorful murals. A few passages, recently restored to some degree, still cling to the steeply pitched ceilings.

These picture angels holding the Instruments of the Passion, portrayals that mirror and complement the carved reliefs of angels on the eastern front of northwest posa.

Calpan. Northwest posa chapel (© Beverley Spears)

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Mexican Murals

For most people, Mexican murals bring to mind the large scale, revolutionary murals decorating the walls of many public buildings, painted by Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros, their followers and successors.

In contrast, this new blog will focus on a much earlier era of mural painting, one that flourished during the 16th century in the conventos and churches of Mexico, as part of the “spiritual conquest” of Mexico undertaken by the missionary Orders, primarily the Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians.

Some of these early colonial murals have already been described in our other blog, which we are re-posting in this blog . Many others will follow, and as with our other blog, we plan to highlight murals of special historic, cultural or artistic interest.

We will also feature selected larger oil paintings of special interest from time to time