March14_2010

Botanical Glossary - Home - References Cited

This convent was located near to the ruins of Monte Alban, which was one of the key spiritual and ritual sites for both Mixtecs and Zapotecs for a reason. It was of great importance for the Catholic Church to substitute all the major parts of the native peoples faith with their own.

Photos - Frames left and center: Pilaster bases and wall scones decorate the walls of the outer church courtyard in the unfinished portion of the Monastery at Cuilapan.

Frame right: Looking down at a first floor arched window that looks out into the open courtyard of the monastery seen from the second floor.

Cuilapan de Guerrero is a town in the state of Oaxaca, located 10 km south of the city of Oaxaca on the highway heading toward Zaachila. It is one of the oldest settlements in the Valley of Oaxaca. In this area Zapotecs and Mixtecs continually fought over territory before their conquest by the Aztecs. For this reason, Cuilapan changed hands many times during this period, leading to a Zapotec/Mixtec mix in the town’s culture.

Photos - Doors and windows all custom built for the stone opening, built rugged and durable to help defend the monastery from outside attackers.

Open-air chapel at the ex-convent of Santiago Apostle. The town’s major attraction is the Dominican ex-convent of Santiago Apóstol. It was left unfinished sometime in the middle of the 16th century, but the cloister, walls, cupola and foundations of what was supposed to be an enormous church remain. Its open-air chapel is characteristic of religious construction around the time of the Conquest.

Photos - L-R - A large, keystone doorway with a wooden panel and a smaller door built within.

A plain, ordinary doorway and a large stone with a Mixtec relief carving blocking entrance. This doorway would open to the friars quarters.

From the third floor of the open courtyard inside the monastery, looking to the western wall of the courtyard showing the symmetry of the arched windows.

Click here for more photos of Cuilapan de Guerrero in Oaxaca, Mexico for this day.