Retablo of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette
Copyright (c) 1991 by Guadalupita Ortiz - All rights reserved
I am quite certain that the santeros in 1694 never gave a thought to the possibility of displaying their carvings and paintings in museums across the world - especially since they all knew that they were untrained craftsmen. Three hundred years later that's exactly what has occurred.
Earlier, Coronado and his troops discovered that the legendary "Seven Cities of Cibola" were no more than goldless mesas with mud huts, and so they returned to Mexico. But the Franciscan Friars who had come along were not so brittle. They saw a future filled with fertile believers, and thus, set out to convert their new world. Almost immediately the friars won the hearts of the peasants in every important community in this frontier. And as in other cultures, daily routines were based around the needs of the "padres" - and life, in general, centered around the Church.
The padres organized groups of laborers and taught them how to adapt traditional architectural designs to handle the native medium: adobe --- sun-baked bricks made of mud and straw. When the large churches were completed, the need for saintly figures arose, and again, the padres taught "a chosen few" to paint and carve santos (saints). The santeros supplied a growing demand for images of the holy ones, for the homes were placed under the protection of special guardians, and the santeros made the images of these saints for each family. However, the farmers of unfound New Mexico were much poorer than just poor. Even the least expensive religious prints imported from Mexico were far beyond their means. So the santeros, traveling from village to village, bartered with their clients, making their santos accessible to all.
The Franciscans taught two forms of saint-making --- retablos and bultos. (Retablos are flat painted panels of wood, metal or animal skin. Bultos are wood-carved statues.) In many cases the santeros would carve the bultos in separated pieces so that the limbs were allowed to move. Both forms of art were painted with locally prepared colors made from berries, herbs and minerals.
European art during this same era was meant to draw the viewers to heavenly thoughts. The santos of New Mexico were created to remind the viewers of their union with the earthly sufferings of Christ.
Handcolored Serigraph of Cristo de Chimayo - by Dan Paulos
Copyright (c) by Dan Paulos - All rights reserved
More than all other saints and subjects, the crucifixion most interested the santeros. And each saint-maker used total freedom of expression in rendering his vision of the crucified Jesus. Usually they sensitively sculpted the head of Christ in a tilted fashion, representing spiritual suffering, humility or sorrow. It was not unfrequent to see a Cristo with implications of physical torture as well.
When the santeros actually nailed their Cristo to the carved cross - and when they painted the wounds in His side, and lay the flowing blood on His body, each in his own way re-experienced the passion of Jesus. The austere and mysterious depictions of the passion spared no cruelty, torture or suffering. Their Cristos were carved with traumatic realism, often leading to criticism from onlookers.
One santero tried to explain: "We want only to say that Jesus was a man who suffered deeply and gave-up His life. The pretty crucifixes in some of the churches do not grab the eye. They do not melt the heart."
Franciscan saints were favored in the early years of New Mexico because the friars were the only priests in the territory. Their ideal - the imitation of Christ - fostered the foundation of a lay Franciscan Order called the Penitentes. The members were zealous, devout spiritual leaders of the communities who eventually inherited the responsibilities of the padres after they were withdrawn in the early nineteenth century.
The Penitentes imitated the life of Christ with such authenticity that they took it to the point of active participation in self-scourging. Sometimes they even bore large crosses, carrying them long distances to the place where they, themselves were bound, crucified and left to hang for three hours. All the while their loved ones would pray and sing their beautiful alabados (hymns):
Along the trail St. John she met
And thus to him did say:
"Oh! have you seen my precious Son
Pass by this grievous way?"
"Ah, that I have, oh Mary mild,
Ere cock had roused the day
And on His sacred shoulders
Five thousand lashes lay.
"A cross was on His shoulders
Of heavy native wood;
The wood was green, at every stop
He stumbled where He stood.
"Three nails to crucify Our Lord
Within His hands are found
He carries, too, a wreath of thorns
With which He will be crowned.
"When this the holy virgin heard
She fell down in dismay
The good St. John then tenderly
Raised her from where she lay.
"Arise, sweet Mary, do not wait,
Arise now from the ground,
For yonder on Mount Calvary
The mournful trumpets sound."
It was through many years of spiritual growth and development that the santeros found their energy and convictions. And though they were not above the average folk, they were somewhat removed from them. So highly were they respected and revered.
When the railroads eventually made modern statuary more readily available, the santeros' work became outdated. And in 1851, when the Church appointed Archbishop Lamy to the newly created diocese of Santa Fe, he outlawed the santos from being used in the churches because they were "too primitive and lacked refinement." This action began the extinction of the santeros. Many of the Santos were destroyed during this time, and those that were not, were taken to private homes. A half century later, visitors to New Mexico began to collect the unique statues, and the santos quickly found their ranks midst other American folk arts, transcending them all in value and importance.
Thanks be to God that the genius of the santeros did not die out completely! Today there is a resurgence of the folk art, and hispanos are vividly taking-up their tools and fighting to keep their heritage alive.
People who now visit New Mexico are awe-struck when they enter the humble mud churches with the santos put back into their places. And if they are lucky, they'll even be able to see and hear the male voices of the Penitentes singing their haunting hymns:
"There is no one now
Who is not worth something;
For Jesus is already dead!"
Go up one level