Ameca Part 2 of 2: Parroquia Santiago Apostol, a 18th century jewel

Facade of Parroquia Santiago Apóstol, the main church. The Parroquia sits just north of the Plaza Principal. It faces the Mercado Municipal across Calle Fray Antonio de Cuellar, the andador (pedestrian-only street) that runs along the front of the church. Parroquia Santiago Apóstol is one of the most important churches in Valle de Ameca, both because of its long history and because of the pilgrims who come to view its 16th century statue, known as Señor Grande. 

This posting will focus on the Parroquia and its history, but also on the history of Ameca itself, which dates back 200 years prior to the Spanish Conquest. Thanks to our Tourist Police guide, Carole and I got to see parts of the church that foreign tourists ordinarily can't access. Here is a Google map, locating the Parroquia in Ameca.

The Exterior

The campanario, or bell tower, has three levels. There are spaces for at least sixteen bells on the first two levels. Beautiful tile designs cover the cupola atop the campanario. In addition to the main bell tower, there is a smaller one with a single bell over the church's main entrance.

Over the millennia, ancient Mesoamerica experienced a long series of migrations/invasions by tribes of nomadic hunters. The Aztecs called these fierce warriors Chichimecs. In fact, the Aztecs themselves had arrived as one of these groups in the 13th century AD. 

Chichamecs typically moved in and took over at times when great empires like Teotihuacán and the Toltecs fell. Amecatl ("String of Water") was founded by a Chichamec tribe speaking the Cazcan language. They arrived in 1325 AD and conquered the sedentary people then living in the Valley of Ameca.

The old bells of the campanario are attached to wooden headstocks. The headstock rotates on the metal crosspiece, causing the clapper of the bell to strike its interior surface. I am always charmed to find antique arrangements like this, still in use after centuries. The bells are rung in the old-fashioned way, with hand ropes.

The leader of the Cazcanes who founded Amecatl was called  Xoxouhqui Tequani ("Brave Lion") and was famed for his courage, ferocity, and cruelty. Soon, he came into conflict with the caltzoncin (ruler) of the Purépecha people. They had arrived in the area a year earlier than the Cazcanes and claimed sovereignty over Amecatl. The Purépecha were powerful, but the Cazcanes' bravery and battle prowess prevailed. Xoxouhqui Tequani's dynasty lasted for five generations.

The church dome is decorated with bright yellow tiles. The dome covers the area in front of the altar. Notice the old stonework on the side of the building. Most of the stones are in various sizes and shapes. The only "dressed" (square cut) stones are the ones forming the corners. This style prevailed when the cost of dressed stones was too great to allow their use to cover the full area of the walls.

The last Cazcan chief was Huitzil, the fifth generation descendant of Amecatl's founder. In 1522, the first Spanish conquistador arrived. He was a soldier named Juan de Añesta who was part of an expedition sent by Hernán Cortéz and led by Cristóbal de Olid and Gonzalo Sandoval. 

Juan de Añesta got separated from the expedition and when he appeared in Amecatl, he was alone, barefoot, and carried only his sword. Believing him to be a deity, the Huitzil and his subjects surrendered peacefully. 

Relief sculpture, dated 1749, of Santiago Mataindios. A mounted Santiago wields his sword over a decapitated head. During the 781-year struggle by Christians to drive the Muslim Moors out of Spain, Santiago Apóstol, (St. James the Apostle), metamorphosed into Santiago Matamoros (the Moor Slayer). 

The Reconquista (Re-conquest) finally culminated in 1492, just before Columbus sailed to the New World and claimed it for Spain. During the Conquest of Mexico, Santiago Matamoros was re-dubbed Mataindios (the Indian Slayer). The conquistadors considered him their Patron as they slaughtered their way across Mexico. 

The damaged statue stands in front of the Parrquia. I haven't been able to determine the identity of this figure and it may be a version of the Virgin Mary or a saint. The inscription under the statue only refers to the person who erected it. The damage may have occurred during an earthquake or possibly from vandalism during the 1926-29 Cristero War. 

Juan de Añesta lived in Ameca for several years after his dramatic arrival and the town became his encomienda.  This was sort of a legalized protection racket, originating during the Reconquista and imported to the New World to reward to soldiers for faithful service. 

The encomienda system gave a Spaniard the right to demand tribute, including free labor, from a designated group of indigenous people. In 1524, two years after Juan de Añesta arrived, Francisco Cortés, a relative of Hernán, stopped at Ameca to resupply his expedition.

The Nave

View of the nave from the choir loft in the rear. A service was under way at the time and this was the best way to get photos without disturbing the proceedings. A nave is the central chamber of a church, running lengthwise from the entrance to the altar. The name comes from the curved ceiling which looks like the hull of an overturned boat.

In 1529, a group of Franciscan friars arrived in Ameca. Soon they began construction of the first version of the Parroquia. It was a simple structure of adobe with a thatched roof. Their next task was to begin the evangelization of the natives. In their religious zeal, they smashed the natives' idols and overthrew their ancient religion. 

This same process happened throughout New Spain and, coupled with the inevitable abuses of the encomienda system, it led to deep discontent. In 1540, a great revolt broke out called the Mixtón War (1540-42).  It was centered in western Mexico, and a Franciscan friar from Ameca named Antonio de Cuellar was among the many who were killed. The andador along the front of the church was named for Fray Antonio. 

A gilded corinthian capital crowns a plain column along a side wall. The column was probably installed during the reconstruction of the church during the 18th century, when the prevailing style was Neo-Classic.

In 1567, a violent 7.2 earthquake shook the town, damaging many buildings, including the church. It is not clear whether the damaged structure was the original adobe church, or its first replacement, a three-nave church. 

The quake was centered in the base of the nearby Ameca mountains, according to contemporary Spanish accounts. The temblor caused a landslide which dammed the Rio Ameca until a breach could be made. Even then, the water smelled of sulphur and was unfit to consume for at least three months. 

The interior of the yellow dome shown previously. A large chandelier hangs from the center of the dome. Its interior is octagonal, with windows on each of the eight sides. The arches of the ceiling frame four of the sides. Where the arches meet are four triangular paintings depicting important saints. 

In 1570, two priests named Santiago Gómez and Pedro Bejarano  were assigned to direct the work of the parish. This probably included a considerable amount of reconstruction of church property after the recent quake. The two priests also commissioned the creation of Señor Grande (Great Lord), the statue of the crucifixion that still hangs in the central position of the altar's back wall.

A carved wooden pulpit wraps around the nave's corner. Like most colonial churches in Mexico, the floor plan of this one can be described as "cruciform" (in the form of a cross). The nave, running from the entrance to the back of the altar area, represents the main post of the cross. 

Just before the altar area, there are two open rooms extending to either side. Together, they represent the horizontal beam of the cross. The place where the main post and the crosspiece meet is covered by the central dome. The placement of the pulpit is at the entrance of the right side of the crosspiece. 

The Altar

The altar area is usually the most elaborately decorated part of a church. The columns surrounding Señor Grande are in the Neo-Classic style. On a bench in front of the altar are two rows of lit candles, left there by worshipers. Above Señor Grande is the Ojo de Providencia (Eye of Providence), surrounded by a sunburst. I will show this and explain its meaning in a bit.

Late in the 16th century, Fathers Santiago and Pedro ordered a statue of the crucifixion from a workshop in Pátzcuaro, Michoacan. Since pre-hispanic times, skilled Purépecha craftsmen had worked with corn paste and cornstalks to create lifelike statues. Local priests and friars began employing them to make Christian images, particularly of the crucifixion. These statues became popular for religious processions because the materials are very light and easy to carry. 

Señor Grande stands 2.1m (almost 7ft) tall and is somewhat gory. The image is quite lifelike and detailed. There is a great wound on one side and the body is covered with other wounds and streaks of blood. Such explicit and powerful imagery was very useful to the Church. Literacy was rare among the indigenous people, or even among the rank-and-file Spaniards. Visual images were necessary to generate the appropriate levels of religious awe. 

Señor Grande was crafted in a workshop owned by two brothers named Luis and Matías de la Cerda. Their fame spread widely after they produced the famous Virgen de Zapopan, housed in the Basilca of Zapopan, near Guadalajara. It has since become the focus of one of Mexico's largest pilgrimages. Orders began to pour in from all over New Spain. Among these was the one from Ameca's two priests. 

In 1600, Luis and Matías finished their work and sent the statue on its long 410km (255mi) trek to the north. The cost was 30 gold pesos or $7932 in today's US dollars (each colonial gold peso was 4.6 grams/22.5 carats). Costly, perhaps, but Señor Grande has lasted for 421 years. Legends associated with the statue began almost immediately after it began its long journey. 

The Eye of Providence gazes over the seats of the nave. Mounted just above Señor Grande, the Eye of Providence represents the all-seeing eye of God, looking benevolently over the world. The triangle surrounding it represents the Trinity. US citizens may recognize the Eye, because it appears on the back of the US paper dollar. Other countries also display the symbol on their national emblems, as do private organizations like the Freemasons and various other fraternal organizations.

The stories about how Señor Grande got to the Parroquia vary widely and most conflict with one another. One says the priests sent a commercial representative, who brought it back after an arduous journey during which he was beset by bandits. Another asserts that the statue arrived mysteriously in a wooden box left anonymously at the front door of the church in the middle of the night. 

Still others say the only part that arrived was the face and that the body was locally constructed. One account speaks of two mule drivers who found the full statue and its cross drifting down the Rio Ameca. Thinking at first that it was a human body, they swam out and rescued it. Not knowing what else to do, they left it at the Parroquia. 

A row of ornate candlesticks stands to one side of the altar. These appear to contain actual candles. In some churches I have visited, real candles have disappeared, replaced by simulations with small electric lights instead of flames. The reason, I have been told, is that the smoke from real candles causes damage to church paintings and statues.

Whether any parts of the stories of Señor Grande's epic trip are true, it did arrive in 1600 and was duly mounted on the wall of the altar. All these tales, as well as reports of later miracles, created a great deal of interest in the statue. Over the centuries. it has become the focus of pilgrimages from various parts of western Mexico and beyond. One pilgrim route comes all the way from Colima.

Images of Saints

Santiago Matamoros, dressed as a 16th century Spanish nobleman. He rides the great white horse on which he led Spanish Christians to victory over the Moors in the famous (and entirely mythical) Battle of Clavijo. Notice the two poles running along the base of the statue. When the Santiago Matamoros is taken out for religious processions through the streets of Ameca, members of the congregation use the poles to carry him on their shoulders. An example of this kind of procession can be seen in my photos of the Fiesta del Tastoanes.

In 1723, construction began on the current church, a project which wasn't completed until 1770. Such a lengthy process was not unusual in church building projects. Wars, famines, plagues, and simple lack of funds could interfere. The decision to build the Parroquia we see today was related to the insufficient size of the previous church, the one which had replaced the original adobe structure of 1529. The need was particularly pressing, given the swelling numbers of the faithful making the pilgrimage to see Señor Grande.

San Francisco de Assisi meditates while holding a skull. The skull is a reminder that we all must die someday. Franciscan friars from the Order he founded were the first evangelists in New Spain. A dozen of them, who became known as the Twelve Apostles of the New World, landed at Vera Cruz in 1524, barely three years after the fall of the Aztec Empire. Only five years after that, Franciscan friars arrived in Ameca and built its first church.

The Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries ignited great religious turbulence, bloody wars, and the Inquisition. Catholicism needed a unifying figure and turned to San Francisco de Assisi (died in 1226 and canonized in 1228) because of his example of poverty and spiritual purity. 

He represented a return to first principles after the decadence and debauchery within the Church during the preceding Renaissance period. Thus, portraits and statues of San Francisco meditating over a skull abounded during the Reformation era, which coincided with the first two centuries after the Conquest of Mexico. 

San Jose Maria Robles Hurtado was martyred during the Cristero War. He was one of 25 priests killed in Mexico during that struggle who were canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. Jose Maria Robles Hurtado (1888-1927) was fervent in his faith, perhaps even fanatical, and joined in the Catholic resistance to government policies of the post-revolutionary period. 

In the 1920s, the government under President Plutarco Calles began to enforce provisions of the 1917 Constitution, some of which severely restricted the power and prerogatives of the Church. This was not surprising, since the Church hierarchy had opposed the Revolution of 1910 and strongly supported the dictator Porfirio Diaz. In fact, the Church hierarchy had a history of supporting the rich against the poor and indigenous people, dating back to the earliest days of the Conquest.

In addition, the government was in the midst of land re-distribution, another key promise of the Revolution written into the new Constitution. The rich hacendados (hacienda owners) adamantly opposed this, although they and their ancestors had acquired their lands under highly questionable circumstances. The hacendados allied themselves with the reactionary Catholic movement known as the Cristeros. Their battle cry was Viva Cristo Rey ("Long live Christ the King"), and their war was called La Cristiada.

This collaboration sometimes resulted in the hacendados using Cristero units as death squads against the agraristas, who were farmworkers struggling to get land under the Constitution's redistribution provisions. The struggle over land was particularly intense in the area around Ameca, which saw the break-up of many haciendas. Robles Hurtado threw in his lot with the Cristeros, and supported the armed revolt. In 1927, he was arrested and hanged. 

Execution of a Cristero priest by a government firing squad. Although Robles Hurtado was hanged, along with many other Cristeros, some were shot. The priest in the photo was not identified.
 

Fearing complete destruction the the Church in Mexico, the Catholic hierarchy finally settled with the government in 1929, accepting restrictions on its religious activities. Some of these laws continued on the books until the 1990s. Even today, you can still see small signs on some Catholic churches declaring "Property of the Federal Government of Mexico."

This completes Part 2 of my two-part series on Ameca and I hope you enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below, or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments section PLEASE include your email address so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim