Exploring
Colonial Mexico©
Exploring
Colonial Mexico©
Santos Reyes Metztitlán:
facadeOn the 12th of September 1997, at 6.30 in the morning, a major earthquake struck the Barranca de Metztitlán, 70 kms north of Mexico City - a sensitive ecological region home to many rare cactus varieties. Especially hard hit was the Augustinian priory of the Three Kings (Los Santos Reyes), an imposing 16th century structure in the principal village of Metztitlán.
When Augustinian friars arrived in 1538, the primitive mission was located on the valley floor. Because of endemic flooding in the canyon, the permanent monastery buildings were re-sited on a former temple platform on the hillside above the settlement. (Although a massive drainage scheme was later instituted by the friars, flooding still occurs - as evidence the widespread inundation of 1999.)
Although subsidence and earth movements had damaged the church and its adjacent convento over the centuries, the 1997 'quake threatened the integrity of this gem of early colonial architecture togther with the art works both within and on its walls - the convento is famous for its early murals. Fissures had opened up around the church and cracks appeared in the fabric of the building. Alarmed residents notified the authorities who, under the guidance of Juan Benito Artigas, a noted architect and authority on Mexican colonial architecture, took steps to stabilize the structure and its immediate precincts.
To compound the problems, less than a year later a fire in the church destroyed the gilded colonial retablo of San Miguel, together with its paintings of the Five Archangels and a 1690 portrait of the Virgin and Child by Spinoza. Fortunately the superb main altarpiece was spared. Created by the well known sculptor Salvador Ocampo, with paintings of the Life of the Virgin by the prominent Mexican artist Nicolás Rodríguez Juárez, this recently restored late 17th century retablo remains one of Mexico's foremost colonial art treasures.
While restoration
and conservation work to stabilize the priory continue, limited
resources and the danger of future subsidence and earth tremors,
continue to threaten this magnificent early colonial monument.
The stone atrium cross is only one of the numerous outstanding works of art at Metztitlan.
Standing on a tall, stepped base opposite the church front, the austere but imposing cylindrical cross was probably the model for others in the region.
Its signature sculpted features include a wreath like Crown of Thorns at the crossing and three bleeding Wounds: two on the arms and one on the shaft, all carved in bold relief. A prominently bordered INRI plaque transects the neck of the cross, and crossed bones adorn the pedestal.
The 16th century cross has been restored in recent years to include its cannonball finials.
