Miguel de Mendoza: a colonial artist in Oaxaca. 4

This is our final post on the colonial painter Miguel de Mendoza.
In previous pages we focused on his extant work in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca. However some of his later works can be found in other locations outside this region, which we selectively review here.
   As mentioned in our initial post, he learned his craft in Puebla, and it is there that several of his paintings reside, notably in the tiled barrio church of La Luz on the outskirts of the city.

  

La Luz: The Annunciation; The Adoration of the Three Kings (Eduardo Limón)

A full set of paintings portraying events in the life of the Virgin Mary, formerly mounted in a single large altarpiece, are now mounted on walls in different areas of the church. The majority are signed by Mendoza and dated 1731.
   These are among the most complex of Mendoza's compositions.  Richly colored in vibrant reds, blues and a range of warm earth tones, they are typical of his later style, still influenced by Cristóbal de Villalpando but foreshadowing his successor and fellow native Oaxacan Miguel Cabrera. 

  

La Luz:  La Purísima; The Coronation of the Virgin (Eduardo Limón)

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In addition to those in Puebla, a few major paintings by Mendoza are located elsewhere in Mexico:

Museo Regional de Guadalajara: The Annunciation (signed 1735)

These two superb late paintings by Mendoza are closely related, although now in separate collections.  Even the models for the Virgin Mary appear the same.

  In both, we can appreciate the artist's mature style in his command of light and glowing color, and his sympathetic portrayal of a warm and intimate scene.

Museo Nacional de Arte: The Visitation (signed 1735)

text © 2016 Richard D. Perry

based on, with images adapted from, the 2013 thesis DON MIGUEL DE MENDOZA. PINTOR INDIO CACIQUE, CATALOGO E ITINERARIO ARTÍSTICO  by Perla Miriam Jimenez Santos

See some of our earlier posts featuring important Mexican altarpieces:

San Cosmé, Calkini; Calotmul; Coixtlahuaca; Taxco; Tejupan; Oaxaca: San Agustín; Sotuta; Conkal; Oaxaca: San Felipe Neri; Yanhuitlan; Aranzazu; Amacueca; El Cabezón; Tepeyanco; Salamanca; Cadereyta; 

Planning a trip to Oaxaca?  Take our guidebook along

Miguel de Mendoza: a colonial artist in Oaxaca. 3

In addition to the larger caches of paintings by Miguel de Mendoza we saw at Suchixtlahuaca and Yanhuitlan there is a scattering of individual works in other major Dominican churches in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca: at nearby Coixtlahuaca (2) Tamazulapan (1) Tejupan (4) and Teposcolula (2) 

Coixtlahuaca: Sts Abdon and Sennen (Magdalena Castañeda Hernández )

The splendid baroque main altarpiece at San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca is noted for its four panels painted earlier by the celebrated 16th century Andalusian artist Andrés de Concha. 
   During recent work on the retablo, however, a neglected later panel at the extreme top, depicting the rarely shown and obscure early Christian martyrs Sts Abdon and Sennen, was determined to be by Mendoza and duly signed by him on the back.
  Reputedly thrown to wild beasts in a Roman arena, both saints are here richly robed in red, blue and green. Although bearing several  bleeding wounds suffered in the arena, they wear crowns and carry martyrs' palms. Lions and bears lurk in the lower right. 
This exceptional painting has been restored by Magdalena Castañeda Hernández.
   Another attributable Mendoza painting at Coixtlahuaca, that of the Holy Trinity, is located in the adjacent convento.

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Santiago Tejupan: St. Gregory;  St. Ambrose (Gibran Morales Carranza)

Four unrestored portraits of the Fathers of the Latin Church hang in the sacristy at nearby Santiago Tejupan, formerly part of a now missing altarpiece. Three are signed, Don Miguel de Mendoza. 
The prelates are seated on throne like chairs looking out in 3/4 view and surrounded by rich red draperies and vestments. 

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Tamazulapan: The Immaculate Conception

Finally, another isolated painting of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception (La Purísima), also signed by Mendoza, resides in the upper part of the superb main altarpiece at Natividad Tamazulapan, which also contains earlier panels by Andrés de Concha.
   In a crowded composition typical of the artist's late style, the warm, glowing tones of the massed putti contrast with the swirling blue cloak of the Virgin. 

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Teposcolula: Agony in the Garden;    The Man of Sorrows (Mireya Olvera) 

Finally, in the sacristy of the great Dominican church at Teposcolula, two paintings survive of a series that formerly adorned a now lost? altarpiece of the Passion of Christ. 
   Again, reds and blues dominate in these elegant but undated compositions that suggest later works of the artist.

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Individual paintings by or attributed to Mendoza are also found in lesser known towns in Oaxaca, such as San Miguel Tulancingo (2) San Pedro Yucunama (1) San Miguel Tequixtepec and Santa Caterina Tayata (1)

text © 2016 Richard D. Perry.

based on, with images adapted from, the 2013 thesis DON MIGUEL DE MENDOZA. PINTOR INDIO CACIQUE, CATALOGO E ITINERARIO ARTÍSTICO  by Perla Miriam Jimenez Santos
See some of our earlier posts featuring important Mexican altarpieces:

San Cosmé, Calkini; Calotmul; Coixtlahuaca; Taxco; Tejupan; Oaxaca: San Agustín; Sotuta; Conkal; Oaxaca: San Felipe Neri; Yanhuitlan; Aranzazu; Amacueca; El Cabezón; Tepeyanco; Salamanca; Cadereyta; 

Planning a trip to Oaxaca?  Take our guidebook along

Miguel de Mendoza: a colonial artist in Oaxaca. 2

After San Cristóbal Suchixtlahuaca, which we reviewed in our first post on Miguel de Mendoza, the largest number of paintings attributed to him are found in the nave of great Dominican priory church of Santiago Yanhuitlan, notably in the restored lateral altarpieces of El Rosario (14 ) and El Carmen (4) 

The restored 18th century gilded altarpiece of the Rosary, framed in exuberant ornate Oaxacan style, is located on the south side of the church and is perhaps the most magnificent of the many lateral retablos at Yanhuitlan. 
   At one time attributed to the 16th century artist Juan de Arrué, the surviving painted panels are closer in time to the retablo itself and although unsigned, are now thought to be the work of Mendoza.

  

Yanhuitlan. El Rosario: The Coronation of the Virgin;      The Nativity;  (Perla Jimenez)

The paintings illustrate key scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary as well as other smaller details.  Here we show two: The Coronation of the Virgin and The Nativity, whose harmonious composition and soft, warm colors convey an appropriate intimacy. 

Located beside the north door of the church, the handsome gilded retablo of El Carmen dates from the early 1700s and contains at least three paintings attributable to Mendoza. 

The Virgin of Carmen with souls in purgatory  (Perla Jiménez)  

All the scenes feature saints interceding for souls in Purgatory (Las Animas), most notably the main upper panel portraying the Virgin of Carmen herself, as well as two large lateral scenes with 1. The martyr St. Lawrence, shown holding his grill, and 2. The notorious Dominican preacher St. Vincent Ferrer, portrayed with his customary wings.

  

St. Lawrence, and St. Vincent Ferrer (Perla Jiménez)

text © 2016 Richard D. Perry,

based on, with images adapted from, the 2013 thesis DON MIGUEL DE MENDOZA. PINTOR INDIO CACIQUE, CATALOGO E ITINERARIO ARTÍSTICO  by Perla Miriam Jimenez Santos

See some of our earlier posts featuring important Mexican altarpieces:

San Cosmé, Calkini; Calotmul; Coixtlahuaca; Taxco; Tejupan; Oaxaca: San Agustín; Sotuta; Conkal; Oaxaca: San Felipe Neri; Yanhuitlan; Aranzazu; Amacueca; El Cabezón; Tepeyanco; Salamanca; Cadereyta; 

Planning a trip to Oaxaca?  Take our guidebook along

Miguel de Mendoza: a colonial artist in Oaxaca. 1

In previous pages we have looked at colonial painters of distinction who worked in Oaxaca, notably José de Páez and native Marcial Santaella.
   In this new series of posts we review selected works of Don Miguel de Mendoza, a contemporary of Páez and Santaella and a native Oaxacan artist, whose paintings can be seen in churches across the Mixteca Alta region of the state and beyond. 

Miguel de Mendoza was born in Puebla in the later 1600s, into a leading family of indigenous nobility from the chocho speaking area around Coixtlahuaca, located in the Mixteca Alta (he often signed his work with the honorific Don to indicate his elite ancestry).  
   Stylistically, his early work was much influenced by that of the eminent Mexican painter Cristóbal de Villalpando, who completed many commissions in Puebla; Mendoza may have been apprenticed to, or worked in the Pueblan studio of the master, and may even have been distantly related to the master.
   In his active period, during the early decades of the 18th century, Mendoza seems to have worked almost exclusively in his ancestral area, most notably in the town of San Cristóbal Suchixtlahuaca, where he was long domiciled and held positions of community leadership.
   Although considered a follower of Villalpando, his work evolved over time, moving closer to the full blown baroque style of his fellow Oaxacan, the prolific Miguel Cabrera. Nevertheless a consistent feature in his work is the Mannerist inflected style of the Andalusian baroque as exemplified in Oaxaca by the earlier master Andrés de Concha and later amplified into a distinctive regional style. 

  

Our first page on Mendoza considers the treasury of recently documented paintings in his adopted town of Suchixtlahuaca. 
The modest parish church, was historically subject to the grand Dominican priory of San Juan Coixtlahuaca nearby, as evidence the Dominican fleur-de-lis medallion on the facade.

Mendoza's paintings inside the church are among his earliest documented, many of them signed and dated 1709. 
  The most distinctive of these at Suchixtlahuaca adorn the dramatic side retablo of the Last Judgment. 

In the main panel, Christ sits in judgment atop a rainbow, flanked in this case by the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist.  Below, angels blow horns to either side of St, Michael with his fiery sword.

   On the bottom tier naked figures of the fearful dead rise from their tombs; on the left, those who are saved are escorted to Heaven by angels, while on the right, condemned sinners are herded by demons towards the mouth of Hell. 

  

the martyrdom of St Stephen and St Lawrence

In addition to the central subject—one of Mendoza's largest paintings—the other panels depict a violent series of harrowing martyrdoms that add to the apocalyptic tone of this altarpiece.

At the top of the altarpiece is a portrait of the Virgin of Carmen as protectress with Sts. Francis and John the Evangelist?. This serene composition seems out of keeping with other panels in the retablo, and may possibly be taken from another retablo.

The final item of interest here is the base panel illustrating a Mass for the Dead, an unusual feature in altarpieces and possibly intended as a memorial.

A second side retablo of note is that of the Virgin of the Rosary, handsomely framed with spiral columns and gilded filigree in the classic manner of the Oaxacan baroque.

  

St Dominic receiving the Rosary;   Sts Dominic and Francis

The six paintings, mostly signed, are all the work of Mendoza, and illustrate scenes from the life of St. Dominic, richly hued in green, blue and red/orange tones.

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The neoclassical side retablo of La Soledad, also holds Mendoza paintings, also possibly from another, earlier altarpiece. 

Only the upper portrait of St. Bartholomew is dated (1710) and inscribed as by Mendoza, and it seems likely that other two, unrelated thematically—a Flagellation and a St. Sebastian set in a colorful landscape—are also his.

The San Sebastian is of special interest because of the portraits of the presumed native sponsors of the painting on the lower right.

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Another retablo in Oaxacan baroque style is dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. The large, luminous center portrait of the saint is attributed to Mendoza, although unsigned. We may also assume that the smaller lateral panels showing six scenes from the life of St. Anthony are by the artist.

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Finally, a handful of other individual paintings attributed to Mendoza survive elsewhere at Suchixtlahuaca, notably a large panel in a side chapel portraying the Virgin of the Rosary interceding for souls in Purgatory (Animas). 
   It is possible that this panel formerly capped the Rosario altarpiece, where the Carmen painting now resides.

text © 2019 Richard D. Perry

based on, with images adapted from, the 2013 thesis, DON MIGUEL DE MENDOZA. PINTOR INDIO CACIQUE, CATALOGO E ITINERARIO ARTÍSTICO  by Perla Miriam Jimenez Santos

Last Judgment fotos:  Eumelia Hernandez.  Rosario fotos:  Davy Caballero & Perla Jimenez

See some of our earlier posts featuring important Mexican altarpieces:

San Cosmé, Calkini; Calotmul; Coixtlahuaca; Taxco; Tejupan; Oaxaca: San Agustín; Sotuta; Conkal; Oaxaca: San Felipe Neri; Yanhuitlan; Aranzazu; Amacueca; El Cabezón; Tepeyanco; Salamanca; Cadereyta; 

Planning a trip to Oaxaca?  Take our guidebook along

Los Reyes Ixtacala: The Interior

In our second post on Los Reyes Ixtacala we look inside the church with a special focus on the sanctuary arch. 

     Although the nave has been re roofed and repainted, the original sanctuary arch has fortunately been conserved largely intact—a stand out in the otherwise plain, whitewashed interior.

Dating, like the facade, from the mid-16th century and sculpted in similar style, the archway and its supporting pillars are densely carved with foliage and classic Franciscan motifs. 

 

A series of stylized foliar reliefs, with leaves and fronds assertively carved in the early tequitqui manner, make up the broad archway and its rectangular, notched alfiz above.

   

Franciscan insignia, including the Stigmata (Five Wounds) and the Jerusalem cross, are set in heraldic shields along the vertical panels of the complex pillars, together with intricate, foliated reliefs and "grotesque" style urns, and framed like the facade by the knotted cord of the Order.  Scrolled capitals studded with rosettes and beads cap the pillars.

The high quality and extent of the sculpted sanctuary arch and its supports suggest that it may at one time have framed an open chapel.

                                         text © 2016 Richard D. Perry. 

                                                  color images courtesy of Niccolò Brooker

Los Reyes Ixtacala: The Exterior

Our friend and long time Mexico aficionado Niccolò Brooker has honored us over the years, by allowing us to display his spectacular photography of numerous colonial sites and art works, the product of his unerring eye for telling detail.
In addition he has ventured to and documented many outlying colonial gems previously unknown to or unexplored by us. 

Bravo Niccolò!

The church of Los Reyes Ixtacala is just one recent example.  Our post, using his images, is in two parts: first the exterior and then the interior.

Los Reyes Ixtacala

Houses of Salt

Located formerly on the shores of Lake Texcoco, this ancient salt making community* was home to one of the earliest 16th century visitas of the great Franciscan monastery at Tlalnepantla. 

Few early Franciscan carved facades survive unaltered.  This relatively obscure example is one, although there are some gaps.

   The sculpted porch is fashioned in classic tequitqui style, with a square alfiz prominently outlined by the familiar knotted cord symbol of the Order.

  

The Doorway
Banded capitals and bases with carved rosettes and curling acanthus foliage frame the broad doorway, distinguished by its plain, basket handle arch and wide inner jambs. 
  In contrast, the outer jambs are densely sculpted in grotesque style with foliated panels in high relief.  Cactus reliefs appear at the top of each panel—an unusual indigenous touch. Sculpted capitals on either side display the Franciscan emblem of the Stigmata (Five Wounds) flanked by archaic relief angels.

  

The Alfiz
A sinuous, foliar motif with folded and unfolding leaves is repeated along the alfiz at the sides and on top, subtly morphing into a double headed Hapsburg imperial eagle above the doorway capitals.

  

Angel's heads anchor the corners and a central relief again shows the Stigmata. Flecks of red and blue throughout indicate that the entire facade was at one time brightly colored, an even more impressive sight—delightful though it is—than it appears today.

  

   

Addition sculptural highlights at Ixtacala include a carved roof cross, several statues of archangels and even embedded Aztec stonework.

Aztec sculpture

text © 2016 Richard D. Perry.  all color images © Niccolò Brooker

* See our post on San Cristóbal Nexquipayac, another ancient salt making village on the shores of Lake Texcoco.

* See some of our recent posts on regional sculpted facades and doorways:
 Texcoco; Atliztac; Tepeapulco; San Felipe Neri DF; Coixtlahuaca; Yecapixtla; Tlamaco; Tepalcingo;