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The Folk Baroque Churches of Mexico

Several pages on this site feature examples of what we term the "Folk Baroque" tradition in Mexican colonial art and architecture.*

Whether sculpted church fronts, tiled domes and facades, colorful murals, polychrome statues or painted ceilings, all may be described under the broad heading of vernacular architecture or popular art.

Now, photographer Carolyn Brown, filmmaker Quin Mathews and your editor, writer/illustrator Richard Perry, all veteran observers of Mexico, its arts and customs, are combining their talents to bring an appreciation of these art works, some well known and others obscure, to a larger public through exhibits and publications.

       

The Painted Ceilings of Michoacán

For the first of these exhibits, we focus on the extraordinary painted ceilings of Michoacán. With the support of the State Tourist Board, members of the team have already made two trips to the region to photograph and document these works of popular art in detail.

In the 16th century, under the impetus of Bishop Vasco de Quiroga, a network of so called pueblo-hospitals were built by the Franciscans and Augustinians as essential adjuncts to their mission, to convert and serve the native Tarascan, or purépecha communities of the region. In addition to the mission churches themselves, these communities included a separate hospital compound, known as the guatápera, primarily for the use of the native people. A central focus of each guatápera, was its chapel, or yurishio in the purépecha language. These chapels were dedicated to the Virgin Mary - usually portrayed as La Purísima, or the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception.

Many of these early chapels still stand, in varying states of preservation. Although generally humble in appearance and modest in their construction, with plain exteriors, inside, by contrast, the chapels were lavishly furnished and ornamented. Often the most impressive adornment was the painted wooden ceiling and choir - a decorative feature largely unique to colonial Michoacán.

While some ceilings remain in poor condition, suffering from neglect and other ravages of time and the elements, a number of them have recently been restored, notably those at Tupátaro, Nurio, Pomacuarán and Zacán. Further restoration work on the ceilings is scheduled over the next four years. Plans are also under way to establish a dedicated tourist route for the chapels, to be known as La Ruta de los Cielos Historiados.

The inaugural exhibition, planned for Fall 2010, is entitled A Joyful Noise, and showcases imagery of music and musicians in the Michoacán ceilings. The larger exhibit will later travel to other locations in this country and in Mexico with the cooperation of the Mexican authorities.

A dedicated color catalog by Richard Perry is in preparation, as well as a documentary video component.

Please bookmark this page and visit us again for updates on this exciting project.

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