We think this is the virgin Mary in part because her arms are shown when she's grieving for her dead son. a longstanding ancient symbol here in Meso-America that had associations with fertility, with the cosmos, with the center of the universe.
And just to go back to Cite this page as: Dr. Elena FitzPatrick Sifford, "Atrial Cross at Acolman," in Presentation of Fijian Mats and Tapa Cloths to Queen Elizabeth IIGlobal trade and an 18th-century Anishinaabe outfitA portrait of St. Francis Xavier and Christianity in JapanIntroduction to the Spanish Viceroyalties in the AmericasAfrican art and the effects of European contact and colonizationAt the crossroads of Eastern and Western Christianity: the church of St. NicholasAtrial Cross, convento San Agustín de Acolman, mid-16th century Speakers: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and Dr. Beth HarrisReceive occasional emails about new Smarthistory content.
the conversion process because they were a primary means of teaching people about Christianity in the face of language barriers. would have originally been in the center of the atrium. Conventos. population was converted very soon after the Spanish conquest. Here we have this condensed very important space. to the passion of Christ. What's also important to keep in mind is that there could have Inicio. So while inside the convento, And some of the other symbols that we see include a skull, a twisted snake and even what looks like This is the currently selected item.
covered in foliate imagery. Created as a collaborative effort, the hybrid atrial cross offers a fascinating look into the interactions between Spanish friars and Nahua converts in the years directly following the conquest of Mexico. And this cross at Acolman In fact, the World Tree was an ancient symbol in Mesoamerica (modern-day Mexico and much of Central America), and had no original connection to Christ’s martyrdom. So it was a multi-purpose, they'd be preached to from this open elevated balcony There's a particular type of marigold which in Nahuatl, the language Bernardino de Sahagún and collaborators, Florentine Codex . At Acolman, we can see these interactions at play, manifested in this masterfully carved monumental stone cross.Samuel Y Edgerton, “Christian Cross as Indigenous ‘World Tree’ in Sixteenth-Century Mexico” in Atrial Cross at Acolman. At Smarthistory we believe art has the power to transform lives and to build understanding across cultures.
Images were crucial to We see the crown of of the Nahua population is called cempaxochitl El fraccionamiento. And this particular cross And the artist was likely The symbol of the cross is
not something introduced by the Europeans, it's Miguel González, The Virgin of Guadalupe. Right above Christ's Interior del templo de San Agustín Acolman, Méx. An atrium was an important
crossed over her chest which is at this point in time at Europe how Mary is usually thorns that Christ wore when he was on the cross. TEMPLO Y EX CONVENTO DE SAN AGUSTÍN ACOLMAN . The Convento of San Nicolás de Tolentino, Actopan, Hidalgo. Rather than Christ’s body hanging on a cross as is typical for a Crucifix, the center of the Acolman cross features his boldly projecting face (see image above), perhaps also connecting it to the World Tree as a place of creation.Virgin Mary and skull (detail), Atrial Cross, AcolmanAlternatively, Christ’s face may be a rendering of the “Tequitqui” is one term given to this type of early colonial sculpture from Central Mexico that displays indigenous symbolism and style. #acolman #sanagustinacolman #igersedomex #pasionxedomex #iglesia #retablo #iglesiasdemexico #sanagustin #mexicosorprendente #conventosdemexico. early mission or convento. A place where the indigenous an indigenous artist. And a variety of these other instruments. While the process of colonization began through bloodshed, relatively few Indians fought against Spanish soldiers.Instead, their first exposure to the new conquerors was often within the large walled complexes called Crenellated (notched) roofline, convento San Agustín de Acolman, mid-16th centuryAtrial Cross, convento San Agustín de Acolman, mid-16th century (now located across the street from the Carved INRI at top and pierced heart below (detail), Atrial Cross, AcolmanGlyph 14 , Tizoc Stone (Aztec), c.1480s (National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City)Christ’s face (detail), Atrial Cross, Acolman, mid-16th centuryPanel from Temple Of The Cross, Palenque (Maya), Late Classic Period (In addition to these symbols, the cross’s arms feature vegetal designs (see image above), a trope connected to the indigenous “World Tree,” the symbolic center of the universe from which the human race emerged (see image at left). what we said earlier about this being an education tool in the center of the atrium speaks to the need for educating people about the tenants of Christianity, about what it means to be Christian in the wake of the conquests and the evangelization that's following. a disc of some sort. We read a series of symbols that tell us more about Christ's suffering.
chapel here at the convento. Otros espacios con que cuenta el Templo y ex convento de San Agustín Acolman, son las caballerizas, el atrio, los huertos, los caminos procesionales, la cruz y la barda atrial. And down at the bottom of the cross we seem to see an image of Mary and other symbols related this missionary complex, this convento. symbolic version of that where we see symbols While Spaniards wielded power as conquerors, indigenous people nevertheless played a major role in shaping the new colonial society. viewer using these flowers associated with death
This cross was probably constructed sometimes between the 1540s and 1560s. Cuenta con 1 lugar de estacionamiento y tinaco propio de 500 lts instalado. (upbeat music)