The Carved Crosses of Hidalgo: Aculco, La Capilla de La Concepción

In the last of our current series on Mexican crosses we look at another carved stone cross in nearby Aculco, just across the line from Hidalgo in Mexico State.    
   Ornamented in the style of Huichapan and on the smaller scale of that at Tlahuelilpa, this diminutive cylindrical style cross stands atop the barrio chapel of La Concepción (the atrium cross mounted in front is later.)

Here the heavily bearded Face of Christ is almost obscured by the two spiny crowns of thorns, one across the forehead and the other draped around the crossing. 
   Because of the limited scale of this cross, there are few other Passion reliefs apart from three boldly carved Wounds, one on each arm and the third on the shaft, each identified by a large, angled spike and spurting streams of blood. 
   Of special interest is the Wound on the shaft, sandwiched between the Chalice below and a circular, inscribed Host above, so that the blood of Christ appears to spill from the cup—an unorthodox and possibly unintentional association.

text © 2016 Richard D. Perry.  images by Javier Lara
see other Hidalgo crosses: Huichapan; Atlan; Tlahuelilpa; Anaya
For a complete list of our crosses pages go to our archive