THE SILVER CHAPELS OF GUANAJUATO: El Templo de Rayas, part two: the altarpieces

For our second post on El Templo de San Juan de Rayas we track down two of the original altarpieces, now, like so many other parts of the chapel, located elsewhere.
The Altarpieces
Although the fate of the main altarpiece—there must have been one—is unfortunately unknown, two of its elegant side altars have luckily survived and are now located in the transepts of the nearby Santuario de Villaseca (Cata), another silver chapel.

   The overall design of the two retablos is virtually identical and follows closely that of the Rayas temple facade. Both follow the classic barroco estípite style of the late 1700s, framed by slender, paired estípites, stalactite like lambrequins and flamboyantly scrolled pediments, and both may confidently be attributed to the Ureña workshop.*

   The retablos have related themes: one is dedicated to Christ portrayed as the Man of Sorrows, and the other to Our Lady of Sorrows (La Dolores)—to whom the Sardaneta family was especially devoted.

The Man of Sorrows altarpiece

The Man of Sorrows altarpiece has been modified with the hollowing out of the side niches to accommodate modern statuary. 
   However, the humble portraits in the medallions below are original and no doubt portray the Marqués de San Juan de Rayas and his wife, rather than members of the Villaseca family of Cata.

  

The Dolores altarpiece

By contrast, the Dolores retablo appears to be in its original state, featuring outsize niche-pilasters with large, painted reliefs of Saints Joachim and Anna—the parents of the Virgin Mary. Although the reliefs are elaborately framed in ornate, rocaille cartouches, the portraits themselves are posed in an unassuming, popular style.

*Known as El maestro transhumante, the "peripatetic master", Felipe de Ureña was the most influential of the Mexican born architect /designers to introduce and expand the Churrigueresque style into New Spain. During the second half of the 18th century, together with family members, he was primarily responsible for the spread and subsequent evolution of this ornate late baroque style into cities across Mexico, especially along the silver routes north of Mexico City.
Primarily an innovative designer and fabricator of altarpieces, he later adapted the barroco estípite style as it was called, for church facades. His elegant and distinctive designs are recognized and known as the felipense style.

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See our other pages on works by the Ureña family: El Santuario de Guadalupe (Ags); El Templo del Encino (Ags); The Temple of Carmen (SLP); San Cosme, retablo (DF); Regina Coeli, retablo (DF)

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text and images © 2017 Richard D. Perry
additional photography by Benjamin Arredondo and others

THE SILVER CHAPELS OF GUANAJUATO: El Templo de Rayas, part one

The Mineral de Rayas

One of the richest of the Guanajuato mines, the Mineral de Rayas was located atop the mother lode, or veta madre, set prominently in the hills above the city. In fact the mine still partially functions behind its forbidding, fortress-like structure. 

   The Rayas mine was expanded during the mid-1700s—its most productive years—by the proprietor, Vicente Manuel de Sardaneta y Legazpí, a prominent criollo entrepreneur, civic leader and first Marqués de San Juan de Rayas.

El Templo de San Juan de Rayas in its original location

A significant part of his legacy was the Temple of San Juan de Rayas, one of the most elegant of the silver chapels, erected in the settlement of San Juan de Rayas located beside the mine. It was completed in the 1770s, replacing a more modest chapel dating from the 1500s, at a then staggering cost of 54,000 pesos. 

   When the Rayas mine played out towards the end of the colonial era, the village of San Juan de Rayas came upon hard times, and by 1850 was virtually abandoned. The neglected temple fell into disrepair and by the early 1900s its integrity was threatened by landslides and unstable mine workings.
The Relocation
By the mid-1940s, the temple was in imminent danger of demolition because of planned construction of the Panoramic Highway that encircles the city. At the eleventh hour, the local Rotary Club came to the rescue, carefully dismantling the chief architectural elements of the temple. 

   The facade, along with the tower and a lantern above the dome were brought down from the mountainside stone by stone and reassembled to form a new front for the church of Guadalupe de Pardo, a former hacienda chapel located west of the city center in the barrio of Tepetapa, where it now remains.

While no longer in its original location, the Rayas temple is now recognized as a classic of the Guanajuatan baroque. Although not so far conclusively documented, we may infer from its distinctive design and the close connection between the architect and the Sardaneta family, that it was the work of Felipe de Ureña* or a close family member. In fact many of the architectural elements displayed in his design for the Jesuit church of La Compañía in the city center are also present in the Rayas temple.

The Facade

“A filigree in stone” as Manuel Toussaint, the late dean of Mexican colonial art studies, once called it, the Rayas temple facade, with its intricately layered estípite pilasters, expansive “moorish” doorframe and exuberantly scrolled gable, displays all of the signature features of the mature felipense style. 
   In the Rayas facade the architectural elements are sinuously layered, set one upon another against a tapestry of modeled floral relief—a pattern traceable back to Spanish Plateresque design, as well as pre-hispanic pictorial and sculptural traditions in Mexico.  
   This complex center façade stands in contrast to the flanking, blank arches, an unusual feature that suggests an unfinished state, even as configured in the original building.

The Iconography
The intricately carved tableau of the Baptism of Christ, framed by an elaborately festooned niche and prominently placed in the center of the gable, reflects the temple’s original dedication to St. John the Baptist, the namesake of the founder of San Juan de Rayas.    

   In contrast to the sophisticated treatment of the architectural elements, this carved relief evokes a more popular feeling, especially in the arrangement and detailing of the figures. (This is generally true of Mexican architectural sculpture from almost every period—another legacy both of Spanish popular art and pre-hispanic influenced, so-called tequitqui, forms.)

Including the John the Baptist relief, several other ornamental motifs evoke water symbols traditionally associated with baptism, such as seashells, the wavelike window frame, the undulating doorway arch and upper pediment, even the dripping stalactite style pendants on the lower columns. 

   In addition to its magnificent west front, many other ornamental and structural elements of the Rayas temple, including the single south tower, the octagonal dome with its pendentives and lantern, and not least, its superb gilded retablos (see Part Two) were putatively designed by Ureña in accordance with his innovative concept of “total design,” and expertly fabricated by craftsmen from his celebrated family workshop.

 

The Tower 
The single south tower, while still ornate, is less extravagant than the facade. Tall and elegant, its large bell openings are framed by slender but finely carved estípites capped with caryatids. A circular, temple-like cupola caps the square tower. 

dome lantern

The Dome
Because of the oval configuration of the pre-existing Pardo dome, the circular Rayas temple dome and its supporting structure, although salvageable, could not easily be placed in that location.  However, the transplanted lantern is there, also elaborately ornamented with prominent estípites and projecting cornice.

 

The Pendentives
The supporting pendentives—four large, triangular reliefs of the Evangelists—have also been preserved. These can now be seen, installed somewhat inconspicuously, above the principal stairwell of the School of Architecture, located in the Unidad Belém of the University of Guanajuato—formerly the Bethlemite hospital/monastery. 

 

Carved in low relief and originally painted in bright colors, each panel portrays one of the Four Evangelists with his respective attribute: Matthew (angel), Mark (lion), Luke (ox) and John (eagle). 
In our second post we will look at the "rescued retablos" of the Templo de Rayas.
*Known as El maestro transhumante, the "peripatetic master", Felipe de Ureña was the most influential of the Mexican born architect /designers to introduce and expand the Churrigueresque style into New Spain. During the second half of the 18th century, together with family members, he was primarily responsible for the spread and subsequent evolution of this ornate late baroque style into cities across Mexico, especially along the silver routes north of Mexico City. Primarily an innovative designer and fabricator of altarpieces, he later adapted the barroco estípite style as it was called, for church facades. His elegant and distinctive designs are recognized and known as the felipense style. 

See our previous posts on the Silver Chapels of Guanajuato: La Valenciana, El Santuario de Villaseca;

text © 2017 Richard D. Perry

color images by the author and Niccolò Brooker

Earthquake damage in Morelos update: Hueyapan

This is the last in our current series reporting on recent earthquake damage to colonial churches in Morelos.  We will update our earlier posts as significant new information emerges.

Santo Domingo Hueyapan in happier times

The old Dominican mission of Santo Domingo Hueyapan stands high on the slopes of Popocatépetl, above Tetela del Volcán.

   Like Tetela, the plain but sturdy church front is notable for its handsome single tower, and is faced by an atrium cross cut from the abundant black basalt of the area. And the nave is lined by colorful baroque altars and a fine, gilded retablo mayor.

  

The tower, atrium cross and golden main altarpiece

Hueyapan, the nave before the 'quake   ©ELTB
 
The dome and lantern before the earthquake (Wilhelm Karl Schepers Schaefer)

Following the 9/19 earthquake, however, the church sustained serious damage, leaving the tower cracked and battered, and collapsing two of the domed vaults—over the octagonal crossing and the apse.

Although the interior has been severely impacted, the main altarpiece seems to have escaped major harm.

text © 2017 Richard D. Perry

color images by Robert Jackson, ELTB and internet sources

Earthquake damage in Morelos update: Tetela del Volcán

The little mountain community of Tetela del Volcán clings to the steep western slopes of Popocatépetl. The unpretentious Dominican mission of San Juan Bautista sits on a rise above the village plaza, commanding a panoramic vista of the volcano above and the Amilpas Valley below.

© 1987 by Richard D. Perry

Like other modest churches in the region the square facade is mostly plain, capped here by a handsome, single tower bristling with massed pilasters.*

© 1987 by Richard D. Perry

The main attraction of the convento is the extraordinary sequence of 16th century murals that adorn the walks and arcades of its delightful, dressed stone cloister.

© Robert Jackson

* Unfortunately, like so many other churches in Morelos, during the recent earthquake Tetela sustained damage to its fabric, primarily to its ornate tower, whose upper tier collapsed into the atrium below. 

No word yet on the fate of the cloister murals at Tetela!

  

Tetela, the cemetery chapel;                                        San Marcos Xochicalco

Other churches and chapels in the immediate area also suffered severe effects, including the venerable cemetery chapel as well as neighboring hillside churches at Tlalmimilulpan, Xochicalco and Alpanocan.

 

San Pedro Tlalmimilulpan;                                   San Antonio Alpanocan

text © 2017 by Richard D. Perry

1987 color images by the author.  post quake pictures by Robert Jackson and online sources

Mexico: earthquake damage in Morelos — Ahuatlan

As we have reported in recent posts, damage following the 9/19 Mexico earthquake has been visited on communities, buildings and churches large and small, especially in Morelos.
But few have suffered the total devastation as has the little church of Asunción Ahuatlan, near Totolapan (also heavily affected)

Asunción Ahuatlan was chiefly notable for its adjacent but separate open chapel, already partly in ruins but retaining some of its colorful mural decoration.

 

open chapel & mural fragments before 'quake

But after the 9/19 'quake, both the church and chapel sustained what may be irreparable damage.

Ahuatlan today, after the earthquake (©Robert Jackson)

2019 Update: Repair of both church and chapel is under way, with a new church roof currently under construction:

 

photographs courtesy of Robert Jackson

text © Richard D. Perry. 

images courtesy of Robert Jackson and Niccolò Brooker

Tlayacapan: the barrio chapels 3

In this third and final post on the chapels of Tlayacapan we picture several ermitas on the outskirts of the town that mark traditional exit points from the village, such as San Nicolás, San Lorenzo, La Natividad and El Tránsito, as well as some other minor capillas. 

 

San Nicolás is a typical boundary ermita, now restored and in use, notable for its span of brick vaulting. The chapel also sustained damage in the September 19 quake, with the partial loss of it belfry. No word yet on effects on the interior.

San Nicolás after the quake

El Tránsito. Except for a toppled merlon beside its surmounting espadaña, this recently restored and re-painted chapel front seems to have suffered little 'quake damage.

San Lorenzo

Likewise, the chapel of San Lorenzo escaped with the cracking of its belfry and the loss of a single merlon.

 

La Natividad

Like several others, the attractive chapel of La Natividad suffered a fallen tower and sections of its gable.

La Natividad after the 'quake

A number of smaller chapels also mark ancient topographic or sacred sites as well as places of private and public devotion in outlying barrios of Tlayacapan. 
   These include those of San Miguel, San Jerónimo, La Magdalena and the Guadalupe Chapel, all of which appear to have suffered minimal damage according to these post quake pictures, except for the rustic ermita of La Magdalena whose belfry broke.

San Miguel

San Jerónimo

La Magdalena

Plus three smaller chapels on the west side of Tlayacapan:

La Asunción

La Concepción, with damaged belfry

San Diego

We will update this post if and when more data and pictures are forthcoming. Many thanks to Robert Jackson who has undertaken to visit, photograph and report on earthquake damage in Tlayacapan and the stricken state of Morelos.

Text © Richard D. Perry.  new color images © 2017 courtesy of Robert Jackson