Jamay Part 2 of 5: Ruins of the 17th century Templo Maria Magdalena

Steeple of Templo Maria Magdalena. The Templo was built in the 17th century by friars from the Augustinian Order. Members of the Order had arrived at the port of Vera Cruz in Nueva España (Mexico) in 1533, but didn't get to Jamay until 7 years later. It took them another 133 years to get around to building the stone Templo to replace the original adobe-and-thatch church. Things moved at a more leisurely pace in those days.

For the second part of my Jamay series, we'll take a look at the fascinating ruins of this colonial-era church. In addition, I'll talk a bit about the Augustinian and Franciscan Orders, and their efforts to evangelize the people they viewed as "heathen savages". 

Map showing the Templo at the south end of the Plaza Principal. After taking the exit off Highway 35 marked Jamay, you follow a one-way street called Calle Zaragoza until you reach the Plaza. Park and walk toward the steeple of Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Rosario. As you approach the church, you will see the ruins of the Templo on your right, surrounded by a grove of palm trees. To access a Google map of Jamay and the area around it, click here.

Exterior of the Templo

View of the Templo, looking south from the Plaza. The ruins are surrounded by palms and hedges of purple bougainvillea. Usually when I have visited, no one else has been there to disturb the serenity. 

In 1521, Hernán Cortez and his conquistadors seized the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán (today's Mexico City) and captured Cuauhtémoc, the last Emperor. Three years later, in 1524, twelve friars from the Franciscan Order arrived. They were followed by the Dominicans in 1526. 

About the same time, the Augustinians petitioned Pope Alexander VI for the right to evangelize in Nueva España. Permission was finally granted in 1533 and their first seven friars debarked at Vera Cruz on June 7 of that year. 

Campanario atop the steeple. The bells that once hung in the campanario (bell tower) were probably removed when the Templo was dismantled for materials to build the Parroquia. The Templo was constructed using rough stone, held together with mortar made from nopal cactus. The steeple's corners and openings for the bells were framed with a red volcanic rock called tezontle. The four corners of the steeple contain columns called pilasters, which are carved with rosettes and abstract designs.

The newly arrived Augustinians set up their headquarters in Mexico City. Supported by further arrivals from their Order, they set out in various directions to evangelize among the natives. One of these groups arrived at Poncitlán, northeast of Jamay and set up a regional base. From there, they branched out to smaller villages, finally reaching Jamay in 1540. 

The Franciscans had reached Lake Chapala prior to the Augustinians. They settled in Jocotopec in 1529 and set up a priory at Ajijic in 1531. However, their efforts seem to have been focused on the western end of the lake and it is not clear whether they made any attempt to evangelize at Jamay in that early period. If there was any Franciscan presence, it was quickly eclipsed in 1540 by the Augustinian arrival. Almost certainly, their first order of business would have been to build a small adobe church and convent.

An arch frames one of the spaces that once contained a bell. The bell hung from the rough-hewn, wooden support beam which still spans the space. The keystone of the arch contains a rosette, which was a popular decorative element. The steeple was a late addition to the structure. The Augustinian friars, using native labor, had built the original stone church in 1673 without a steeple. The Templo replaced the old adobe structure they had used for the previous 133 years. 

For reasons that are unclear, the Franciscans took over responsibility for Jamay from the Augustinians in 1766. One of the first changes the Franciscans made was to add the steeple and its campanario to the 103-year-old Templo. This may have been their way of putting their Order's stamp on their new acquisition 

When they built the steeple, the Franciscans added a particular decoration that symbolized their core values of poverty and simplicity. The interior and exterior borders of the arch seen above are carved to resemble the rope belts that the friars wore around their rough wool habits. This same symbol can be found on Franciscan architecture throughout Mexico. 

Below the window is the date of the steeple's construction.  The window's rope border encloses other decorative elements. In addition to the rosette at the bottom, there is a cross at the top, combined with the letters IHS, a "Christogram". These letters are an anagram for "Jesus Christ" that dates back to the persecutions during early centuries of Christianity. In those times Christians used secret symbols to communicate their faith.

Under the window is a raised inscription beginning with ENE, a Spanish abbreviation for January, and ending with 1766. In between these are what appear to be Greek letters with an unclear meaning. Just after 1766 are symbols for the sun and moon. 

Doorway to the interior of the steeple. The opening is very small, probably only a little more than a meter (3.28 ft). Even given the short stature of the people in the 18th century, they would have had to stoop low to enter. At one time, this door may have led to a spiral staircase up to the top, but nothing of that remains. The old wooden door is much too large to have belonged to this entrance, so it must have come from a different part of the church.

Santa Maria Magdalena, for whom the Augustinians named their church, was one of Jesus' disciples. The Franciscans retained the name after they acquired the Templo. According to the New Testament, Mary Magdalene was very close to Jesus and was the first person to encounter him after the Resurrection. Who exactly she was and her precise relationship with Jesus have been matters of controversy since the earliest days of Christianity.

Symbols of the sun and moon appear after the date 1766. According to Richard Perry, these may represent the Virgin Mary. However, the sun and moon were also important symbols for the indigenous people. Colonial-era Mexican churches were usually built by the native people, particularly in the earlier centuries. Not surprisingly, symbols with dual Christian and pre-hispanic religious meanings can often be found in these structures.

In spite of rigorous efforts by the Church to suppress such "idolatry", indigenous people often retained some of their old beliefs. Carving symbols with double meanings might have been a way of fighting back against their oppressors. On the other hand, they may have accepted the new religion but were just hedging their bets. 

Small window on the side of the nave. The small round window inside the arched niche was sealed up at some point. Notice the rough, uncut stone used in the construction of the wall. In the centuries that followed the early era, adobe churches were the norm. 

Starting in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, stone churches began to appear. However, cut stone blocks were expensive and their use was often restricted to corners or to frame doors and windows. For large expanses like walls, rough stones gathered from the surrounding fields were utilized.

Statue of Jesus in the patio to the left of the church. I found the expression on the face, and particularly the eyes, to be somewhat disturbing. This maniacal glare is not a portrayal of Jesus I have ever encountered in any other church. It's not clear when this statue was created, but it appears to have been reassembled from many broken pieces. The statue may have been destroyed in the same earthquake that caused the Templo to be abandoned.

 

The Nave

The now-roofless nave is filled with interesting bits and pieces. The semi-circular apse at the far end was where the altar once stood. It was the most important part of the church and would have been filled with paintings, statues, and other decorative elements. The people standing to the left of the apse are members of my group who have just emerged from the small sacristy to the left of the apse. 

Remains of a pilaster and arch along the nave wall. A pilaster is a decorative column, and generally non-load-bearing. Several of these would have been spaced along the walls on either side of the nave. The spaces between would have been filled with paintings or other decorations.

Another rope border curves above four-petaled flowers. The curve of the stone assembly in the middle suggests that it may have been part of an arch, perhaps over the nave. Similar faint carvings on the stones to the right and left can still be seen. The flowers are another example of a decorative element with a dual meaning. 

In the pre-hispanic world, four-petaled flowers represented the Cardinal Directions (east, west, north, and south). Each direction was associated with its own color, god, and myths. The Aztecs believed that the place where the Cardinal Directions meet was the center of the cosmos. There, the rain god Tlaloc lived in a turquoise room.

More cryptic anagrams. The meaning of these is even more obscure than those on the steeple. To the left, the capital letter A is followed by what may be a 4 or possibly a cross. The next chunk of debris contains the capital letters P and R. Whether these two chunks fit together or were randomly placed is also unclear. 

Like the symbols found on pre-hispanic temples, inscriptions like these were aimed at the elite who could understand their hidden meanings and intended to be obscure and mysterious to the general population. Illiterate indigenous and mestizo people made up the vast majority of the Templo's congregation in colonial times. These mysterious symbols, along with rites conducted in unintelligible Latin meant they had to take the whole thing on faith. 

Tombstone from the Templo's cemetery. The inscriptions were too weatherworn to be legible, although I could make out a few numbers that might have been part of a date. 

On October 2, 1847, a great earthquake rocked the eastern end of Lake Chapala. Centered at nearby Ocotlán, the temblor severely damaged the Templo in Jamay. The destruction was great enough that the authorities eventually decided against any attempt to rebuild.

Jamay's priest, Father José María Zarate, ordered the structure to be blown up so the rubble could be used to build a new church. 

Work on Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario began in 1850 and was completed in 1860. Tombstones from the Templo's cemetery were among the building materials used  when the Parroquia was constructed. The builders apparently missed this one.

The Sacristy

Baptismal font surrounded by a wrought iron screen. We found the font inside a small room that was once the sacristy. A sacristy is a room where a priest changes into his vestments and where sacred objects are stored. The entrance to the sacristy is just to the left of the apse at the far end of the nave. Fonts like this were used for baptizing infants, the first step along the path to becoming a full-fledged Christian.

A niche in the sacristy wall contained a strange-looking stone object. We didn't know what to make of it until we pulled it out of the dusty nook and recognized it as the sculpture of an open book, carved out of stone. Closer examination suggested that the object represents an open Bible.

The stone Bible contained a faint inscription. Later research revealed that the inscription is the Ten Commandments, written in Latin. It is likely that the stone Bible had once occupied a place of importance, perhaps on the altar or on a special stand. My research has failed to turn up any other reference to stone Bibles in colonial churches, so this one may be unique. I would be glad to hear from anyone who has encountered other examples.

A pair of wooden doors stood in the corner. They may have once been used for the sacristy entrance, or possibly for another of the Templo's rooms. They are clearly a matched pair. As anyone who follows this blog knows, I am a sucker for old ruins. Some of the most interesting parts of these ancient places are the old wooden doorways. They often contain evidence of the fine craftsmanship of people from long ago.

Floral detail on the right-hand door. The elaborate floral images carved on the wooden doors are typical 17th century Baroque features. The old Templo has apparently become enough of a tourist attraction to convince the State of Jalisco to invest $1.2 million pesos ($58,680 USD) to renovate the ruins and to create a corridor connecting the Parroquia, the Templo, and the Casa de Cultura. 

This completes Part 2 of my Jamay series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below. If you leave a question, please be sure to leave your email address so that I may respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim