Christs in Michoacan

In Patzcuaro, temporary art shows are constantly coming and going at the “Centro Cultural Antiguo Colegio Jesuita”.  Such shows normally remain for three to four weeks, so there’s rarely a dull moment.



Expostion in Pátzcuaro from Alfonso Pacheco Hernández



Temporary Expositions in Pátzcuaro at the Cultural Center "Antiguo Colegio Jesuita"

During this Holy Week and Easter vacation, we are being treated to an interesting exposition – which remains until April 26 – called simply, “Christs,” by the architect Alfonso Pacheco Hernández.



Christs an Exposition in Pátzcuaro



Cultural Events during the Holy Week and Easter Vacations in Patzcuaro

We have received good reviews about this show from our guests at Hotel Mansion Iturbe.  Our guests can’t always get to all the interesting outlying areas of our Magical Town during their visit, so Mr. Pacheco brought them to us, in the form of photographs of figures of Christ from temples all over Michoacan, from the Cathedral in Morelia, to the Patzcuaro area, to the smaller communities of the state of Michoacan.



Exposition in Pátzcuaro about Christs in Michoacán



Cultural events in Pátzcuaro during the Holy Week

During the Spanish conquest of Mexico, evangelism, of course, played a pivotal role.  The Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustans, and Jesuits were the religious orders that carried on the work of the first missionaries that arrived to “New Spain.”  Missions, once established, were quickly followed with the construction of schools, monasteries, and parish churches.



Christs an Exposition from Alfonso Pacheco Hernández in Pátzcuaro

Wooden images of Christ from Spain were brought to adorn these new spaces.  To supplement the demand, Purepecha artists in the Lake Patzcuaro area began making figures of Christ from their own material:  “pasta de caña” (corn stalk paste, or “játzingueni,” in Purepecha), which they had previously used to make images of their own gods.


Cultural Activites in Pátzcuaro at the Holy Week and Easter Holidays

This “new” material astonished the evangelists with its durability and light weight, and Don Vasco de Quiroga was among the first to promote its use in Santa Fe de la Laguna and in Tzintzuntzan, and later by founding the “Sculptural School of Patzcuaro.”  Numerous such figures were created and sent back to Europe, much to the amazement of the international community.  But many, of course, remained in Mexico.



Christs an expositions in Pátzcuaro from Alfonso Pacheco Hernandez

 

Make time to visit this interesting show, and observe the endless ways in which the indigenous artists expressed their new religion, using their own ancient sculpturing method. This represents one of the earliest manifestations of the melding of the two cultures.

*Text and pictures property of Hotel Mansión Iturbe.


We invite you to check more articles in our blog, you will find information that will be useful for your vacations in Pátzcuaro.

Here are some post that we suggest you:

Creators of Mexican Folk Art in the Patzcuaro Lake Región

Ancient Codices and Canvasses of Michoacan a temporary show at the Museum in Pátzcuaro

Juan O’Gorman’s Mural in Pátzcuaro

Hotel Mansión Iturbe

Portal Morelos 59
Plaza Vasco de Quiroga
61600 Pátzcuaro, Mich.
México


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