In our occasional series on Lost Missions of Yucatan, we focus here on the unrestored country church at Lalcah, now in the state of Quintana Roo.
Located a few kms south from the great roofless frontier church at Tihosuco, on which it may have been once dependent, the village, abandoned until recent times, retains the shell of its late colonial country church.
The surviving fragments include much of the masonry facade, and most interestingly, its painted, 17th century? wall retablo in the former apse of the church.
The Facade
A broad triangular facade, its steep lines reflecting the original thatched nave roof, is notable for its double entry. The plain facade also features three windows, at one time opening above a wooden choir loft burned during the 19th century Caste War, following which the church and pueblo were abandoned. The loft was accessed by a stone stairway, still standing, its opening beside the west doorway.
Arched openings along the roofless nave give access to the exterior, indicating its probable original function as as open chapel.
The Apse and retablo
Originally, as now, this area was roofed in rough masonry and retains the most interesting feature of the church: its painted wall retablo, a rare colonial survival. Divided by pairs of plain pilasters, it features several niches that retain significant traces of the original painted figures of archangels.
