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Friday, April 3, 2020

Hidalgo. Santa María Nativitas: The Baptismal Font

In our ongoing series documenting early baptismal fonts* we visit the former Franciscan visita of Santa Maria Nativitas, located in eastern Hidalgo. 
Much remodeled since its founding in the early 1600s, and set atop what may be a prehispanic mound or platform, the church contains few reminders of its Franciscan origins, with the notable exception of its striking, carved stone baptismal font.
The monolithic basin is ringed by the Franciscan knotted cord linked to ornamentally framed reliefs of the Stigmata. The principal relief is atypical in that the customary Five Wounds surround a cross with two shafts or spears.
 In addition, a pair of animal heads appears below the main relief.

 * Please see our earlier posts featuring early Mexican fonts of interest: Yucatán; Oaxaca; Michoacan; Zacatelco; Tlalmanalco; Cuernavaca; Tepoztlan; Zacualpan; Otumba; Chimalhuacan; Acatzingo; Tlaxcala; Zinacantepec; Tecali; Tecamachalco; 
text © 2020 Richard D. Perry
images courtesy of © Niccolo Brooker
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2 comments:

  1. Jameel NooriJune 11, 2026 at 1:06 AM

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  2. Jameel NooriJune 11, 2026 at 1:08 AM

    Fascinating post! The craftsmanship and historical significance of this baptismal font are truly remarkable. I especially enjoyed the detailed photographs and the background information about Santa María Nativitas. Posts like this help preserve cultural heritage and make it accessible to a wider audience.

    I also appreciate the effort that goes into documenting and preserving historical artifacts in digital form. Whether it's architecture, manuscripts, or typography, preserving cultural traditions online is incredibly valuable. For those interested in traditional scripts and font preservation, resources such as Jameel Noori and Urdu Fonts offer interesting insights into Urdu typography and digital font collections.

    Thank you for sharing this piece of history. Are there any other colonial-era baptismal fonts in the region that feature similarly unique carvings or symbolic elements?

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