San Juan Metepec: the convento murals

The mission of San Juan Bautista Metepec, like nearby Zinacantepec was founded here by Franciscans from Toluca as early as 1532.  Although the present church is much later, with an elaborate painted facade in Pueblan baroque style, the convento dates from the 1560s. 

Recently restored, the whitewashed two-story cloister is framed by low arcades with flattened arches and sturdy Doric columns.  

The Murals
Framed by painted arcades with ornate baluster columns and upper friezes, several large narrative murals have survived in the upper cloister. Mostly partially restored, although some remain incomplete, they depict often portrayed saints and martyrs that include St. Peter, St. Lawrence, St. Sebastian as well as the less common St. Helen.
   Painted predominantly in the customary warm charcoal tones, these 16th century frescoes include a variety of detail, despite the erasure of some background painting.

Framed by an ogival arch and Plateresque pilasters, this portrait of St. Peter, holding his keys, includes scenes from his life including the angel visiting him in prison and his crucifixion upside down, set in a view of the local landscape.

The angel visits St Peter in prison

The  portrait of St Helen is less elaborately framed, although song scrolls appear in the  spandrels of the archway. Details include the finding of the Holy Cross, painted in red, and two birds—a buzzard and a red dove posed in the wooded landscape behind.

The finding of the Holy Cross (detail)

 

Also framed by a fanciful scalloped archway, the martyr St. Sebastian is shown in his classic pose:  bound almost naked to a tree and transfixed by arrows, here flanked by animated bowmen.

Another early martyr, the Spanish born saint St. Lawrence, stands on a pedestal holding a grill, the traditional instrument of his martyrdom, details of which are shown in the background.

Elsewhere in the convento, the beamed former refectory displays friezes with Franciscan insignia.

text © 2019 Richard D. Perry

color images courtesy of Niccolo Brooker

Zinacantepec: the open chapel retablo

In previous posts we have mentioned the open chapel at San Miguel Zinacantepec and its grand carved baptismal font. The chapel is distinguished by its early murals which we cover in a previous post, but here we focus on the striking painted retablo mounted at the rear of the chapel.

At the base of the altarpiece, are the four evangelists: from the left: St Mark, St Luke, St John and St Matthew.

The Archangel Michael

Above, in the center panel, is patron St Michael the Archangel, flanked by the Fathers of the Latin Church: to his right: St Gregory and St. Ambrose, and to the left, St. Jerome and St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.

On the upper level we see, at center, the Virgin Mary at the moment of the Annunciation, with the Archangel Gabriel at left and on the right The Archangel Raphael.

   God the Father presides in the crowning triangular pediment. 

text © 2019 Richard D Perry

color images courtesy of Niccolo Brooker

the murals of Zinacantepec

Starting in the 1520s, the Toluca Valley, west of Mexico City, was evangelized by the Franciscans; during the 1550s and 1560s a network of missions was built, radiating out from their monastery of San Francisco in the city of Toluca.

Of these early missions, the monastery at Zinacantepec, begun in 1550, is one of the best preserved, as are the variety of distinctive early murals that adorn several of the monastery walls. 

The Open Chapel

The oldest portion of the monastic complex, dating from the 1560s, is the spacious open chapel which is integrated into the arcaded portería that fronts the convento to the south of the church.. 

Recessed behind the larger center arch of the elegant five-bay arcade, the chapel takes the form of a substantial niche framed by an archway of cut stone. Its flared sides lead the eye inwards to the newly restored 17th century altarpiece mounted on the rear wall. 

 

Of special interest to us, though, are the flanking murals on the angled side walls of the chapel. Earlier than the retablo and possibly dating from the late 1500s, these two large panels picture St. Francis preaching to the birds and fishes and receiving the Stigmata opposite. Now in fair condition, both panels appear to have been originally monochromatic, with the blue and rust tones added later.

Anteporteria

Inside the main entrance is a vestibule which leads to the main courtyard of the cloister. A magnificent 16th century mural, set above the low main door into the cloister, is known as the Tree of Life.  Employing the traditional Tree of Jesse format common to other Mexican murals of this variety,  it illustrates the history of the Franciscan Order and its martyrs. 

The tree grows from the chest of the reclining St. Francis.  St. Clare of the Second Franciscan Order emerges from a flower above him while various Franciscan saints and martyrs issue from flower/clouds on the many branches.

   Unlike the other frescos, this one appears to have been originally polychrome, the colors including red and green accents, flesh tones and framed by bands of color.   

The Cloister

Faced by Tuscan arcades the cloister has two floors and now houses the exhibits of the Museo Virreinal de Zinacantepec. 

   Several large rectangular panels along the corridors have been partially restored. They largely consist of monochrome depictions of prominent saints, including Peter and Paul, martyrs like St Lawrence and St Sebastian, as well as a portrait of the Virgin with many of her attributes. 

 

Although the finely drawn outlines of the figures are clear, much of the original background detail has been lost, giving them an isolated appearance. 

There are also some surviving but again, incompletely restored Passion scenes including a Flagellation and large, faded Calvary scene with three crosses in color? 

    

In addition to the narrative murals, Zinacantepec boasts a variety of mural ornament in the form of polychrome friezes, grotesque bands and patterned wall decoration.

text © 2019 Richard D. Perry  images by the author and Niccolo Brooker

The murals of Zacatlan, Puebla

The grand basilican monastic church of San Francisco at Zacatlan in the Sierra Norte of Puebla, is among the most distinctive early colonial churches in Mexico, of special note in this relatively isolated region. Its plain, broad front, anchored by steeple like towers, provides an ideal backdrop for the imposing, classical west doorway cut from dark, volcanic tezontle.

With its light, lofty arcades, the airy, late 16th century basilican interior has suffered major alterations and damage from fire over the centuries. However, recent restorations in the church have uncovered fragments of unusual colorful frescoes beneath the many layers of whitewash.  

   These once extensive murals covered parts of the nave and much of the apse/sanctuary—and possibly date in part from the late 1500s when the Franciscan chronicler Fray Juan de Torquemada was supervising the completion of the church.

Colorful painted medallions in folkloric style have emerged from a former frieze between the arches along the nave.

Because only a fraction of the original murals have been uncovered, revealing a variety of styles, the full extent and nature of its program, if any, is unclear. 

While there are vestigial portraits of Franciscan and other saints—including St. Francis and St. Christopher (above)—but it is the anecdotal details, especially of animals, that has excited the attention of researchers; these include native deer, jaguars, rabbits and bees, as well as genre village scenes with Spanish and indigenous figures. 

   

 Deer                                                                    Jaguar

    

    Rabbit and honey? gatherer                                       Hunter with bow and arrow

 

 

Painted arches and passages of floral ornament have emerged, as well as paired Calvary scenes with three draped crosses and what appear to be hermits in caves. 

Sections of complex, burnt orange, foliated dado friezes have also been uncovered along the lower nave walls, that may once have framed larger narrative murals yet to be uncovered?

mural images courtesy of Niccolo Brooker and Natalia Rivera Scott