Capilla de Santa María Xoxoteco, 16th century chapel in San Agustín Metzquititlán, Mexico
Capilla de Santa María Xoxoteco is a 16th century stone chapel with a single nave and vaulted ceiling. An ornately carved arch marks the entrance, and additional rooms with barrel vaults lie beside the sacristy for storage and religious purposes.
Augustinian friars built the chapel in the 16th century as an open-air structure for visits by monks from Convento Santos Reyes de Metztitlán. The building became an important site for religious work in the region.
Indigenous artists created murals showing scenes from Genesis, the Apocalypse, and hell, interpreting European Renaissance designs through their own artistic tradition. These paintings reveal how local craftspeople understood and expressed religious themes in their own way.
The interior is straightforward to access, allowing visitors to easily view the stone architecture and artwork. It helps to allow time for close examination of the murals to notice all the details.
In the 1970s, original murals with demonic scenes were discovered beneath paint layers, drawing researchers to study the artistic and archaeological history. This discovery revealed hidden details of the original creators' artistic vision.
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