Exploring
Colonial Mexico©
Exploring
Colonial Mexico©
All across Mexico, the old coexists with the new, although not always comfortably. However, at Soyaniquilpan in the State of Mexico, a delightfully hybrid 16th century facade is harmoniously complemented by an exquisite 18th century altarpiece in the nave.
The parish church of San Francisco retains its eclectic Plateresque porch of intricately carved stonework, brilliantly highlighted against a whitewashed front crowned by a moorish style gable.
The flattened Gothic archway rests on Renaissance coffered jambs and is surmounted in turn by a broad, rectangular alfiz* capped by a classical entablature that incorporates an Isabelline pearl molding. The knotted Franciscan cord is carved into the sides.
Curly Gothic crockets climb the steep sides of the pointed arch of the choir window, incised with a Latin inscription in antique lettering invoking the blessings of St. Francis, the patron saint of Soyaniquilpan.
Set over the window is a handsome wall cross, probably also dating from the 1500s. Finely sculpted, with an expansive, spiny Crown and three dripping Wounds, the cross is mounted atop a pedestal inset with rosettes and a complex, split or two-sided foliated relief - perhaps a reference to the Nahuatl place name of Soyaniquilpan, signifying A Plant Divided. Another, larger, plain stone alfiz neatly encloses the entire ensemble.
Inside the church, the similarly ornamented sanctuary arch frames an elegant, gilded altarpiece in terminal Baroque anástilo style.
Set in a matrix of sinuous rococo carving, the retablo showcases several large canvases, most notably a centrally placed, new painting of the infrequently portrayed Virgin of Light.*
Text & color illustrations ©2011 by Richard D. Perry. All rights reserved. Color images of the retablo and painting ©Niccolo Brooker. Thanks Niccolo! *the alfiz is a architectural device, derived from Islamic tradition, designed to frame doorways and windows. For more information on the early churches of Mexico, consult our classic guidebook, Mexico's Fortress Monasteries Look for our forthcoming pictorial guide to Mexican Stone Crosses. *See our other page on the Virgin of Light
