Jerez Part 7 of 7: A quiet stroll around town

A trident-style street lamp stands in front of a balcony with French doors. The door is topped with a fleur-de-lis, the stylized lily that is the symbol of French royalty. In the late 19th century, French art and architectural became very popular among Mexican elites.

In this final part of my Jerez series, I'll take you on a stroll around town. The photos I include here didn't really fit into the story-lines of my other posts. I just found them interesting and attractive and didn't want to leave them out. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed taking the shots.

This two-story building was once the abode of wealthy merchant. The location is on Calle de la Soledad, just north of the Santuario. Multiple doors on the first floor gave entrance to the merchant's store, while the second floor was his residence. Notice the elaborate decorative stone carvings over the second floor doors. When I took this shot, the first floor contained an eye clinic and a video studio, while the second floor has apparently been broken up into apartments. 

I found a mariachi school on Calle de la Soledad. I was walking along the street when I heard the unmistakeable sound of mariachi music. As I approached, I saw the sign above and an open door and couldn't resist taking a peek inside.

Young mariachis-in-training and their instructor. They were friendly and gladly agreed when I asked if I could take their photo. The instruments they hold are fairly typical for a mariachi band. These include two trumpets, a violin, a guitar, and a guitarrón (base guitar). The man pointing at me (second from right) appears to be Sr. Miguel de la Rosa, whose name is on the sign. The attitude of this group was typical of the folks we met in Jerez.

Entrance to Jerez' Department of Public Works. The contrast between the elaborate colonial-era doorway and the prosaic modern function of the building definitely called for a photo. I encounter these sorts of contrasts where ever I go in Mexico. The two gentlemen chatting on the steps added a nice touch. 

The mysterious Manuel Rodarte. Other than the dates of his life (1885-1928) that appear below his bust, he is a complete mystery to me, despite considerable Google research. He was apparently important enough to justify a statue and even to have a street named after him. I have turned up a long list of Rodartes from Jerez, dating back at least to the 17th century. However, I can find no Manuel who was born and died on those dates. Any help in identifying this person would be appreciated. 

"Kiss, love for fashion". Women's clothing is sold here. The English word "kiss" was a rather unusual sign to find over a Mexican store. The Spanish word for kiss is beso. The carved stone door frames are Gothic style, indicating a building of the 18th or 19th century. This store is part of a row of old homes along the east side of the Plaza Principal that have been turned into stores. I featured them in Part 2 of this series.

A brass lion chomps on the handle of a door knocker. It is difficult to say whether this is an original or a re-creation. However, the greenish patina indicates that it might be an antique. Little details like this door knocker often catch my eye.

 

"OK! What's going on down there!" I am a dog person and their antics always amuse me. This pup was standing vigil and not about to let anyone or anything pass by below his balcony without close inspection.

This completes Part 7 of my Jerez series as well as the series itself. I hope you have enjoyed visiting this charming town. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below, or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I may reply in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim

 

Jerez Part 6 of 7: Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepción, the town's oldest existing church

 

Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepción, from the southeast. The church is located on the corner of Calles de la Parroquia and Del Reloj, about two blocks southeast of the Plaza Principal. This is the oldest church in Jerez. There were earlier chapels and churches but they have since been replaced by later structures. Construction on the Parroquia began in 1727, with the exterior finished in1739 and the interior in 1741. 

The church was originally built using the Baroque style popular in the 17th and early 18th centuries. The steeple, however, shows elements of an earlier style called Herrerian, named for the late 16th century work of Spanish architect Juan de Herrera. The interior of the Parroquia was remodeled in Neo-Classic style in 1805. The exterior underwent restoration in 1930.

In this posting, I'll show you various features of the exterior and interior of the church. I'll also explain the meaning and history behind some of the statues and paintings found in the interior's three naves. 

Exterior features

The entrance facade. It was constructed as a retablo, with niches for statues. There are three "bodies" or levels of the facade. The statues framing the first two levels are the Four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. According to Christian tradition, they are the authors of the four Gospels of the New Testament. The facade's top level contains three more statues, shown in detail in the next photo.

While the walls of the church were built using white sandstone, the facade was carved from an easily-worked volcanic stone known as cantera. The facade faces a large, open atrium, bounded by a fence with gates on three sides.

Three statues decorate the top level. The identity and meaning of the figures were a mystery to me until an anonymous blog fan provided me with some convincing information about the ones on the right and left. However, the central figure remains a mystery. His hair and beard are closely cropped hair and he wears clerical garb suggesting a priest or friar. His left hand holds a reliquary, while his right is outstretched. Anyone who can identify him is invited to leave a comment below. 

The figure on the right, holding a sword and a broken wagon wheel, is almost certainly Santa Caterina (St. Catherine) of Alexandria (287-305 AD). She was martyred by the Roman Emperor Maxentius. According to the legend, he ordered that she be broken on a spiked wheel, but the wheel fell apart when she touched it. The Emperor then condemned her to be beheaded with a sword. This succeeded in killing her, but milk poured from her neck instead of blood. 

My informant suggested that the figure on the left is either Santa Clara de Assisi (St. Clare) or San Ramón Nonato. Both are often portrayed holding a sacred religious object called a monstrance. The figure on the left holds one it its right hand. I favor Santa Clara because the figure wears a dress and has long hair. In addition, Santa Clara famously held off an invasion of her convent by French troops by confronting them while holding up a monstrance. 

One of the Four Evangelists stands in a niche to the left of the door. None of the figures is specifically identified, either by a plaque or in the literature, so it is hard to say which is which. The exuberance of the Baroque style can be see in the spiraling Solomonic columns. Other indications include the three small faces appearing along the horizontal bar above the statue.  The luxuriant vines and flowers that appear at the bottom of the columns and on the arch above the statue's head are also Baroque.  

A winged cherub seems to be fighting his way through the lush vegetation. This carving is located just above and to the right of the main door. A similar cherub appears on the left side. More vegetation decorates the arch of the doorway and the horizontal crosspiece above the cherub. A general characteristic of Baroque is that it tends to leave no available space undecorated. 

The Naves

The three parallel naves are separated by two sets of columns. The interior of the Parroquia was remodeled in Neo-Classic style in the same year that work began on the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (see Part 4). This sort of remodeling occurred all over Mexico during the last part of the 18th century and the first part of the 19th. The emotionality of Baroque art and architecture fell out of favor and was replaced by the rationality of the Era of the Enlightenment. 

An extraordinarily life-like statue of Jesus on the cross. He is covered with wounds dripping with blood. This appears to be one of the famous pasta de caña (cornstalk paste) crucifictions by the indigenous artisans of colonial-era Michoacan. These statues are always very realistic, with every rib, muscle, and toenail clearly defined. Also, like this one, they tend to be quite gory. 

To create the statue, native craftsmen made a paste from corn-stalk pulp and applied it to a wooden or bamboo frame. Statues like this were very popular in their time. From the workshops of Michoacan, they were sent to churches throughout the central highlands of Mexico, where they can still be found today.

An elaborately carved wooden pulpit is attached to one of the nave's columns. The pasta de caña statue can be seen in the lower right. Various niches within the church hold statues of saints. A triangular painting of San Mateo (St. Matthew) can be seen in the upper right. I will have more to say about this painting and those of the other three Evangelists a bit later. For a brief history of pulpits, and an explanation of why those in many Catholic churches are hung on one side of the nave, see Part 4.

Statue of a martyr. José Ramón Miguel Agustin Pro Juárez was a Catholic priest executed during the Cristero War (1926-29) The war was an uprising by Catholics against the post-revolution Mexican government. Presidente Elias Plutarco Calles was carrying out reforms mandated by the Constitution of 1917. Some of the changes he sought targeted the core of the Church's social and economic power and were bitterly resisted by its hierarchy. 

The reforms included redistribution of land from the great haciendas to poor campesinos and indigenous people. Much of this land was owned by close allies of the Church, as well as by the Church itself. Calles also took education out of the hands of religious authorities, thus undermining Church social power. Calles' reforms sparked an armed revolt, tacitly (and sometimes actively) supported by the Church hierarchy. 

Padre Miguel Pro was a Jesuit priest from Zacatecas who was involved in the resistance. The statue above portrays the moment of his execution by a firing squad, with his arms extended as if he was being crucified. A photograph of the execution was widely distributed by Calles. He intended it as a strong message to Cristeros, but it was a huge political blunder. Miguel Pro became a martyr and symbol of the Cristero movement. 

The Apse

Neo-Classic columns form a half-circle at the back of the apse. Statues of various saints stand in niches set between the columns. Above the apse is a dome with three religious-themed paintings. In the center of the apse's columns is a statue of Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepción, for whom the Parroquia is named.

Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepción. The Immaculate Conception concerns how Mary herself was conceived, while the Virgin Birth is about Jesus' conception. In both cases, the pregnancy was allegedly caused by divine intervention instead of sexual intercourse. It was therefore "without sin". The idea of Mary's immaculate conception was controversial within the Church for more than 1500 years. During the Middle Ages, the Franciscan Order was in favor of the idea, but the Dominicans were opposed and they nearly had a civil war over it. 

The issue was finally settled in 1854 through a decree by Pope Pius IX. The decree was considered "novel",  i.e. highly unusual, since the Immaculate Conception was not supported by anything either in the Bible or official Church tradition. It was declared to be dogma (incontrovertibly true) simply because the Pope and his cardinals said it was. Protestant denominations and the Eastern Orthodox Church have never accepted Immaculate Conception.

A gold reliquary stands just below the statue of the Virgin. Reliquaries are containers for sacred relics. These might include the physical remains of holy sites or holy persons or objects with which that person had contact. One of the most famous of all relics is the Shroud of Turin, which contains the image of Jesus and was long believed to be the cloth which was wrapped around him in his tomb. In 1988, the Shroud was radiocarbon-dated to more than 1300 years after the Bible says Jesus died.

By the time of Charlemagne (9th century AD) every church altar was expected to have a reliquary and the objects within were considered to possess supernatural powers. Relics were so highly coveted that they were sometimes stolen from one church only to appear later in another. Objects considered so valuable required beautiful containers and reliquaries became a major focus of religious art in the Middle Ages.

Side Altars

Side altar with niches displaying statues of several saints. The Parroquia has several side altars along the walls of the naves. The figure at the top is identified on a plaque as San Pedro (St. Peter) one of the most important of the original Apostles. To the left is San Francisco de Assisi (St. Francis), who founded the Franciscan Order in 1208. He can be identified by the skull at his feet, which represents the ephemeral nature of life. 

The statue in the center, holding an infant, is unidentified. The two saints who are most often shown with a baby are San Jose, the father of Jesus, and San Antonio de Padua (St. Anthony). He was a Portuguese Franciscan who was considered so pure of heart that he was canonized in a lightning-fast process lasting less than a year. Just below San Antonio is another small reliquary.

Another side altar displays Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and San Pedro. Jesus is on the left, wearing a billowing white robe and displaying wounds on his hand, foot, and chest that he received during crucifixion. The painting in the center shows the Virgin Mary seated with the Baby Jesus on her lap. Both are wearing crowns and have halos surrounding their heads.

San Pedro stands on the right, with a scroll representing the Gospel in his left hand. His right hand extends across his chest and holds the key to heaven. While researching this statue, I came across a Roman statue from the Vatican Museum in an almost identical posture. This suggests a sculptural convention that Christian artists adopted from Roman statues they encountered.

The dome and its paintings

The dome over the intersection of the central nave and transept. The octagonal dome has a glass chandelier hanging from its center and is supported by four arches. The triangular spaces where they meet contain paintings of the Four Evangelists. Each has a totemic figure peering over his shoulder. 

A bald and white-bearded San Mateo writes in a book while an angel looks on. San Mateo (St. Matthew) is the reputed author of the first of the Gospels and the painting shows him at work, inspired by an angel from heaven. The other corners contain paintings of San Marcos (St. Mark), San Lucas (St. Luke), and San Juan (St. John). 

The four figures that accompany the Four Evangelists--a man, a lion, a bull, and and eagle--also appear in the Old Testament's Book of Ezekiel. There, they are described as surrounding the throne of God. From the earliest days of Christianity, each of theses totemic figures has become associated with one of the Four Evangelists.

San Lucas and the angelic lion. A legend holds that San Marcos briefly stayed the night in Venice when it was still a small fishing village. In a dream, he encountered an angel in the guise of a lion who told him he would die there. However, he ultimately died in Alexandria, Egypt. 

In 828 AD, relics reputed to be his bones were stolen from Alexandria. They were delivered to Venice by merchants who hoped to profit from pilgrimage traffic to a basilica they wanted the city to build. Twelve hundred years later, a winged lion is still the symbol of Venice.

 

A bull leans over the shoulder of San Lucas. A winged ox or bull often appears in paintings or scuptures of San Lucas. The bull represents sacrifice, service, and strength. Interestingly, winged bulls are common in ancient Middle Eastern religions. Their images date back thousands of years before Christianity and represent strength, fertility, protection and divinity. Ancient pagan symbols have often been incorporated into Christian beliefs. 

 

An eagle perches just behind San Juan in this painting. An eagle became associated with him because the Gospel he is alleged to have written is much more lofty, and theological than the other three. Because the eagle soars up into the sky, it has also become a symbol of Christians who have died and are rising to heaven. 

This completes Part 6 of my Jerez series. I hope you have 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, please include your email address so that I may reply in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim

Jerez Part 5 of 7: Interesting sites near the Plaza Principal include Plaza Tacuba, Hotel Posada San Miguel, & Jardin Migual Hidalgo

 

Cowboy detritus. An old wagon wheel, a milk urn, and several harnesses are some of the items standing by the door of a shop located at Plaza Tacuba. The state of Zacatecas is pais del vaquero (cowboy country) and the shop contains all sorts of objects peculiar to Mexican cowboy culture. While some of the items in the store are antiques, others are new.

In this part of my Jerez series, we'll take a look at some attractive sites to be found within a block or so of the Plaza Principal. In addition to Plaza Tacuba, these include Hotel Posada San Miguel, Jardin Miguel Hidalgo, and Theatro Hinojosa. Rest assured that this list by no means exhausts the interesting places to visit in this area.

Plaza Tacuba

Las Portales de las Palomas face the broad expanse Plaza Tacuba. The steeple of Parroquia de la Concepción Inmaculada can be seen in the upper right. The name of Las Portales de las Palomas (The Doorways of the Doves) is a reference to two stone doves on the upper level of the arcade whose beaks touch in a kiss. The doves are connected to a local legend, according to historian Tony Burton in his book Western Mexico, A Traveler's Treasury. 

The legend says that two powerful hacendados (hacienda owners) arranged a marriage between the son of one and the daughter of the other. The boy and girl were appalled by the idea but publicly agreed to the marriage. However, they secretly made a suicide pact and carried it out by leaping to their deaths from one of the balconies above the arcade. It's a great story but, like all Mexican legends, it should be taken with a grain of salt.

View down the length of Las Portales. The structure was built by Hilario Llamas, owner of Hacienda Santa Fe. He had acquired the site in 1856 from a priest who was being transferred to Zacatecas. In 1861, Llamas applied to the Jerez authorities for permission to build an arcade along the front. His proposal was initially rejected, but an appeal to the Governor of Zacatecas finally succeeded. Both the arcade and Plaza Tacuba were finished in 1864 and soon the homes and business establishments of the elite surrounded the new Plaza. 

Las Portales de las Palomas was built with commercial space on the ground floor. The second floor was reserved for the Llamas family's residence. In 1887, they were among the wealthy families who objected when city mayor Rafael Paéz proposed moving the Jerez market from the Plaza Armas (now called Plaza Principal) to Plaza Tacuba. The elite simply couldn't stand the idea of all those scruffy vendors in their midst. In spite if their fierce resistance, Páez prevailed (See Part 3 of this series for the full story).

Artesanias y Novedades El Moreno is on the north end of Las Portales. I love antiques and this place drew me in like a magnet. Draped over the red wagon wheel are a pair of leather chaps, which are protective gear that cowboys wear over their pants while riding through thorny mesquite country. I am addicted to hats and, while visiting this shop, I purchased a handsome straw sombrero. I still wear it regularly, six years later. 

Beside another wagon wheel, I found a rustic wooden pack saddle. While hiking in the back country, I have often seen saddles like this strapped onto burros carrying heavy loads up mountain trails. Many "antique" items like those displayed are still in daily use by the campesinos I encounter while traveling Mexico's back roads. As William Faulkner famously wrote, "the past is never dead. It's not even past."

An old sombrero and a tangle of bridles hang from a wall. Although most campesinos now seem to favor American-style trucker caps, I still run across a few who wear traditional wide-brimmed sombreros like this one. Most of the time, however, you only see them on charros (rodeo riders) and members of mariachi bands.

In July of 2020, a fire broke out in one of the stores along Las Portales de las Palomas. It raged for some time before it was finally brought under control. Tragically, almost 50% of the old structure was damaged. News coverage from the time of the fire stated that its origin was undetermined. I haven't visited since the fire, so I can't say for sure whether Las Portales de las Palomas has been (or can be) fully restored, but I certainly hope so.

Hotel Posada San Miguel

Entrance of Hotel Posada San Miguel. The mansion was built by a wealthy family during the colonial era and now serves as a boutique posada (inn). Hotel Posada San Miguel is located at #24 Calle De La Parroquia, approximately two blocks southeast of the Plaza Principal. A plaque to the right of the front door commemorates a 2003 visit by Mexican Cardinal Javier Lozano.

Hacendados often did not live full-time on their rural properties. Instead, they employed professional administrators to run them on a day-to-day basis. The hacendados and their families preferred the comforts and cultural offerings of city life and usually chose to reside in sumptuous townhouses like this and only visited their haciendas seasonally. 

The hotel's elegant dining room was obviously built for entertaining. In addition to the owner's extended family, those seated around a table like this might have included other hacendados, prosperous merchants, local officials, military officers, and priests. Such gatherings cemented the bonds between the various parts of the local ruling elite. The tragically-ended marriage associated with Las Portales de las Palomas might well have been arranged around a table like this.

A beautiful old grandfather clock stands in the foyer. The hotel is filled with lovely antiques. Those who transformed the old mansion into a posada preserved many of the original features. These include a central courtyard surrounded by arched Gothic/Arabic portales and a comfortable living room with a grand fireplace. 

Jardin Miguel Hidalgo

Jardin Miguel Hidalgo is a tranquil, shady plaza. The Jardin  (garden) is located on the western end of the block that it shares with Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (see Part 4).  Above, a tall plinth is topped with a bust of Padre Miguel Hidalgo, the first great leader of Independencia (the war for independence from Spain). The broad walkways leading to the plinth are lined with  benches.

Bust of Padre Miguel Hidalgo. A man with a very complicated personality, Miguel Hidalgo (1753-1811) was a Catholic priest who led a remarkably bohemian lifestyle. He had a common-law wife and several children and appears to have enjoyed wine and song as well. He launched Independencia on September 15, 1810 by ringing the church bell of Dolores, Guanajuato. Once the residents had assembled, he addressed them with his famous grito (cry) for freedom.

Hidalgo did not survive the first year of the war. He was captured and executed in 1811, following the defeat of his forces. Other insurgent leaders rose to replace him and were defeated and executed in turn before the final victory in 1821. Hidalgo is especially revered for his decree against slavery. Although slavery wasn't formally abolished in Mexico until 1837, this still preceded its abolition in the U.S. by 28 years.

Teatro Hinojosa

Entrance to Teatro Hinojosa. The theatre borders the northern side of Jardin Miguel Hidalgo. It was built by the master craftsman Dámaso Muñeton, who also constructed the Edificio de la Torre (see Part 4). Construction lasted for 19 years, from 1871 and 1890. Muñeton used Ford's Theatre in Washington DC as his model. It was the site of Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865. In 1882, the internationally famous soprano Angela Peralta (1845-83), known as the "Mexican Nightingale", performed here. 

Muñeton's work was commissioned by Jerez politician Jose Maria Hinojosa Escobedo. He was a member of the Llamas family, the same family who built Las Portales de la Palomas. His last name, Escobedo, indicates he may also have been related to the family that built the lovely Humboldt Portales at the Plaza Principal (see Part 2). Hinojosa involved the whole community in the building project, including local prisoners who did stone work.

Women chat in front of ornate doors at the west end of Teatro Hinojosa. The horseshoe-shaped interior of the Teatro has seating in the balconies and boxes all around the sides, but no seats on the main floor. Instead, chairs are set up there during performances or other events. Carbide lamps and a huge mirror in the back of the theatre once provided its lighting.

Under the stage there is a remarkable hydro-acoustical device. By filling or emptying a pit with water, the volume of the actors' voices can be increased or decreased. During the Revolution, Teatro Hinojosa  served as a military barracks. Later, it was used as a school, a public library, a movie house, and a meeting hall. In 2006, it was reopened as a theatre and public auditorium.

This completes Part 5 of my Jerez series. I hope you have 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, please include your email address so that I may reply in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim

Jerez Part 4 of 7: Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad and the Edificio de la Torre

The steeples of the Santuario loom over the surrounding buildings. You are looking down the street called Del Santuario from the southwest corner of the Plaza Principal. The street runs along the west side of the Plaza. The church known as Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Solitude) is one of the architectural landmarks of Jerez. 

In this posting, we'll look at the Santuario's exterior and interior features and also visit the small but stunning Edificio de la Torre. I'll relate a little of the history of both along with some interesting explanations about the origins of choir lofts, church pews, pulpits, and confessional booths.

Exterior features

View of the facade and its two huge steeples. The main body of the Santuario was begun in 1805 and completed in 1819. The project was initiated by Captain Don Pedro Carlos de Godoy, with the assistance of Don José María Patron, the newly appointed Father Prefect. Most of the construction occurred during Independencia (the Independence War).

Delays caused by the war probably contributed to the length of time it took to complete the initial phase. Various improvements were added later. The north (right) steeple was completed in 1860 and the atrium was added in 1877. The south steeple was finally finished in 1885, using the north steeple as its model.

The Gothic main gate was added in 1880. The gate was the work of Padre Andrés V. Lopez*, who is also responsible for other changes during that period. Most of the Santuario was built with sandstone, but the gate was carved from cantera, a soft volcanic rock often used for decorative purposes. The ornate decoration and the tall, thin pointed arches are characteristic of the Gothic style.

While critics admired the gate, some felt it was too grand for the small atrium into which it opens. Early colonial atriums were usually large, open-air spaces in front of a church, enclosed by a fence or low wall. They were used for evangelizing indigenous people in groups too large to fit inside churches. By 1877, when this atrium was built, nearly everyone was already Catholic. So, the atrium here appears somewhat vestigial. 

*El Estado de Zacatecas, Instituto Zacatecano de Cultura Ramon Lopez Velarde, Gobierno del Estado, 1998-2004.

The south entrance of the Santuario is almost as grand as the front. This side entrance faces onto Calle Aurora. The gate is also Gothic and is more of Padre Lopez' work. The large dome of the church is visible above. Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad's architect was Tomás Villanueva, a very experienced and knowledgable man. 

Villanueva used as his model a famous Spanish pilgrimage site, the Catedral de Santiago Compostela which draws visitors from around the world. Over the centuries, the Santuario has incorporated several architectural styles, including Baroque, Neo-Classic, Mudejar (Arabic), and Gothic.

The Gothic-style south gate. Once again, the gate seems a bit "over the top" given the paltry size of the space into which it opens. Still, it certainly draws you in, which is its purpose. The tall, iron-studded, wooden side door of the side entrance is built so that it can either be opened completely or entered by one or another of the two small doors at its bottom.

The site on which the Santuario was built had previously been occupied by a hospital and chapel for indigenous people. Such hospitals were a typical feature of early colonial religious architecture. Although epidemics ravaged indigenous communities from the earliest days of the Conquest, the hospitals' primary focus was more about evangelization than healthcare. 

Such hospitals were usually organized and run by one of the religious orders, often the Franciscans. As the Age of Evangelism faded into history, the hospitals took on important economic and political roles. However, corruption crept in and, by the late 18th century, many of them were closed. This may have been among the reasons why the hospital was torn down and replaced by the the Santuario .

The Apse and Altar

The apse contains the altar and statue of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. The apse of a church is located at the opposite end of the nave from the main entrance. It is usually semi-circular and is the main focal point of the church. Nuestra Señora is in the center of the back wall, with statues of her parents St. Joachim and St. Anne to her left and right. A simple statue of Jesus on the cross is at the very top of the structure. It seems almost an afterthought.

Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is adorned with a halo and a beautiful gown. The cult of Our Lady of Solitude originated in Spain and is a special form of devotion practiced in Spanish-speaking countries. "Solitude" refers to the solitary grief of Mary on Holy Saturday, when her son Jesus still lay in his tomb. 

 

The veneration of Mary was especially intense in Medieval Spain and the conquistadors brought that with them to the New World. Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is the patroness of grieving mothers and those who are lonely. During colonial times she became the patroness of Jerez, as well as other Mexican states and towns.   

Various legends are associated with this statue. One involves its arrival at Jerez in 1569, shortly after the city's founding. Two travelers with a heavily loaded burro stopped in town for the night. In the morning, the men and burro had vanished, but the cargo remained. When it was opened, Nuestra Señora's bust and hands were discovered. In the 19th century, Nuestra Señora was credited with stopping a local cholera epidemic. Still later, she is said to have ended a drought.

When General Trinidad Garcia de la Cadena visited Jerez in 1872, he credited Nuestra Señora with assisting in the struggles against the U.S. invasion (1846-48) and the French Occupation (1862-67). During the Revolution (1910-17), General Panfilo Natera was surrounded and ran out of ammunition. A legend says that Nuestra Señora took his horse's reins and led him to safety. For these exploits she has been dubbed La Generala (the Lady General). 

The Transept

The dome's ceiling is octagonal. It covers the area directly above the place where the main nave passes through the transept to form the latin cross, an architectural arrangement found in many Catholic churches. Four arches support the dome and in their corners are four triangular paintings.

In one of the triangular paintings, Mary stands over the body of Jesus. Above her is the Spanish text Hazme sentir, oh madre, tu dolor (Make me feel, o mother, your pain). As a photographer of architecture, I was particularly attracted by the convergence of all these straight and curved lines. 

Chapel of the Virgen de Guadalupe. This is one of two chapels that are located at either end of the transept. A painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe hangs above the altar. On either side are two white-clad figures, Jesus on the right and an unknown saint holding a cross on the left. On the altar below the Virgin is a photo of Pope John Paul II, who served from 1978 to 2005 and is much-beloved in Mexico.

The Virgen de Guadalupe is the Patron Saint of Mexico. She first appeared to a newly-converted Aztec man in 1531. He claimed to have encountered her in the ruins of a temple to Tonantzin, the Aztec earth goddess. His account of the apparition of the Virgen de Guadalupe was considered very controversial at the time. 

The reasons for controversy included the following: that she first appeared to an indigenous person rather than a Spaniard; that she spoke perfect Nahuatl (the Aztec language); and that she was dark-skinned, like an indigenous woman. All this made her wildly popular among  the poorer classes, but some in the Church (particularly the Franciscans) initially declared her a fake and a way for native people to continue to worship the old gods.

The Ceiling and Choir Loft

A series of glass chandeliers hangs from the ceiling of the nave.  The ceiling itself resembles the ribs of an upturned boat, hence the term nave, which means "ship or vessel" in Spanish. The ribs are another example of the Gothic style. The view here is toward the entrance of the Santuario. The balcony with the railing above the entrance is the choir loft. In many colonial-era Catholic churches, the choir sits above and behind the congregation. 

The choir loft's organ was installed in 1844 and has 28 registers. I was brought up in a Protestant church where the choir sat in the apse area, behind and to one side of the pastor's pulpit. When I began photographing Mexico's colonial-era churches, the location of choir lofts seemed odd to me. Looking into it, I found out that this practice was not ancient, but came into use in the Baroque era (1600-1750).

In previous centuries, choirs had been exclusively men and boys. During the Baroque period, operatic music performed by choirs that included women became popular. However, mixed choirs created a problem because women were not allowed in the sanctuary during liturgical services. The solution was to remove the choir to the organ loft, an area above and behind the sanctuary. 

This situation lasted until the 1903-1914 reign of staunchly conservative Pope Pius X. He wanted to restore "sacred music", particularly Gregorian chants. Accordingly, he abolished mixed choirs and restored the all-male version. This allowed the choir back into the sanctuary area. However the loft with the organ is still called the choir loft.

The Pulpit and Confessional

A beautifully-carved pulpit hangs on the nave's side wall. The wooden canopy overhead is called a sounding board and serves to amplify the speaker's voice. In Catholic churches, pulpits are reserved for clergy when they deliver sermons. While preaching has always been important in Catholicism, it got a real boost during the Middle Ages. The Franciscan and Dominican Orders grew rapidly through preaching to large crowds.

The use of pulpits dates back to the raised areas of pre-Christian Jewish synagogues and to Greek and Roman speaking platforms. For the first 1400 years of Christianity, churches had no seating and everyone simply stood during services. Fixing the pulpit on the side wall in a raised position enabled the speaker's voice to be heard more evenly than would be the case for one located in the apse. However, once front-facing seating became the norm, side-wall pulpits declined in use.

The arched doors of this confessional are intricately carved. A cross with various symbols relating to the crucifixion is framed by two angels peeking through foliage. Unlike stand-alone confessionals, this one is set into the wall, conserving space and decorating the wall at the same time. Like pews, confessional boxes arrived fairly late in Church history.

It wasn't until the early 13th century that Pope Innocent III required that all Catholics must confess at least annually. Mandatory confessions were viewed as a way to exert control over the faithful and to fight heresy. It was even later, in 1576, that Cardinal Charles Boromeo invented the first confessional box. Its design was aimed at thwarting physical contact between the confessor and the penitent.

Edificio de la Torre

View of the Edificio de la Torre through the Sanctuario's main gate. The Edificio de la Torre (De la Torre building) stands directly across the street from the front of the church. The name of the building is sometimes translated as the Tower Building, but this is an error. It was named after an 18th century philanthropist.

Pantaleón de la Torre y Salcedo (1744-1799) was born, lived, and finally died in Jerez. He was a wealthy man who sponsored education and cultural projects. In 1795, near the end of his life, he donated the land on this site and set aside funds for the construction of a girls' school, which operated for 70 years. 

View of the southwest corner of Edificio de la Torre. The building is so striking in its design that it has become an iconic image of Jerez. After 70 years the girls' school was demolished and replaced by the present building. Construction lasted from 1894 to 1896. The work was done by master stonemason Dámaso Muñetón, the same man who built the north steeple of the Santuario. 

Muñetón's work incorporates Gothic and Mudejar styles. The finely-carved cantera stone walls were completed in 1895. The Edificio's windows were crafted using lead and rivets rather than solder and still contain the original handmade glass. The work on them was finished in 1896.

A local vaquero pauses for my photograph.  Until recently, Edificio de la Torre functioned as the Jerez Institute of Culture and housed a public library. During our visit, the building was closed for renovation. Soon, it will open as an art gallery.

This completes Part 4 of my Jerez series. I hope you enjoyed it and, if so, that you will leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below, or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments, please leave your email address so that I may respond in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim