Mexican Colonial Churches
As part of her work with the State Department, Arquin developed an educational series of slides on Colonial Architecture in Mexico, complete with a script. She encourages those who use the slides and her script to make frequent use of maps to help their students understand the geography of the churches and Mexico at the same time.
Arquin is frankly celebratory of colonialism in Latin America. In her introductory remarks, Arquin highlights the “great task” before missionaries who arrived in Mexico of converting the native populations and how so much of that conversion depended on art and architecture. Arquin also points out that the missionaries arrived on shores that had “a very high culture already existing.” Arquin credits native artisans with the expertise to both execute missionaries’ designs, but also to offer design input of their own, culminating in the Churrigueresque style.
Arquin clearly thought that her photography was an important contribution, as she highlighted these images in interviews. She even indicated that some of the churches she photographed no longer stood or had been damaged in the intervening years.
What follows below are a selection of the 81 slides she originally intended for the presentation. They generally follow a chronological order from 1525 through the 18th century. Together with the slides, we have also provided some of the commentary Arquin meant to accompany the images, as well as information from our own research. Readers will notice that Arquin’s commentary is focused on formal characteristics of the various styles of colonial architecture.
The Monastery of San Miguel Arcángel in San Miguel de Huejotzingo was built in 1525. One of the first of the Franciscan monasteries erected by the missionaries, Arquin notes that the architecture is defensive, rather than ecclesiastical.
Church of Santo Domingo - General view
The Dominican church and monastery of Santo Domingo in Oaxaca was begun in 1575 by Fray Hernando Cavarcos and was completed ca. 1675. Arquin notes that the massive construction was due to the frequent earthquakes in the region.
The church and monastery of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino de Actopan was founded by the Augustinian order constructed between 1550 and 1570. Arquin notes that Augustinian Churches served as cultural, political, and religious centers. The church is simply built, with rounded, Romanesque arches and crenellations typical to the period.
Church of St. Francis Xavier
The church was begun in 1670, by the Jesuits, who by that point had been in Tepotzotlan for nearly a century. The church and the adjoining complex were largely educational – both teaching new priests and educating local children. The façade pictured here is a classic example of the Churrigueresque. Arquin understood this to be a climatic Baroque style that incorporated elements of both Spanish and Mexican architecture. Arquin was also interested in the engaged columns on the façade, seeing their segmented nature as characteristic of the Churrigueresque. Today, the building has been converted into the Museo Nacional del Virreinato (the National Museum of the Viceroyalty of New Spain).
Sanctuary of Ocotlan - main facade
The church houses a miraculous sculpture that was discovered by a local man, Juan Diego, with the help of an appearance of the Virgin Mary. The sculpture is also closely connected to a local river thought to have healing properties. The local Franciscans believed the local man and began maintaining the site and the shrine in the late 16th century. The church was built in 1670. Arquin notes the sharp contrast of the red tile and carved white stone. The tile is characteristic of the region.
Founded by the Franciscans in 1560, the present church dates to the late 17th and early 18th century in its construction. The façade is notable for its glazed, polychrome tiles and elaborate carved mahogany doorway, according to Arquin. The tilework is a kind of coated ceramic known as Talavera azulejo – a type of painting tin-glazed ceramic. The church and its main gateway (at right) demonstrate Moorish influences.
Church of Santa Maria Tonantzintla - main facade
In her script, Arquin notes that the name of this church comes from an Aztec word meaning “our mother.” The church is another example of glazed tile being used for the entire facade. This and other churches with similar treatment have been called “Puebla Baroque.” Modern Architects and cultural historians would probably call this “Neo Baroque” or “New World Baroque.” The interior decoration, in keeping with its name, also shows evidence of the blending of both Colonial and Indigenous cultures and religions.