Cuilapan Monastery, Church And Archaeological Ruins
Oaxaca, Mexico
Travel And Tour Photos And Pictures

George And Audrey DeLange

Cuilapan: The monastery and church of Santiago Cuilapan, the largest one in the region, were built here in the 16th century, indicating that this was once an important Mixtec population center. If you go, be sure to inquire about the little explored ruins on the other side of the Valientne River, which contain a pyramid which was built as a tomb. This ex-monastery and church is a national treasure and easily visible from the highway. The Cuilapan Monastery includes the features characteristic of colonial monasteries. However, what makes it especially unique is a roofless nave segmented into three sections by two rows of columns supporting thirteen arches. One of the two rows stands complete; the other row has only its first and last arches still standing. Open-air chapels were not common at the time of its construction, but open-air services were common since the native people found indoor ceremonies claustrophobic. Set into the floor of the unfinished church can be found the tomb of Princess Donaji, a Zapotec princess and early convert to Christianity. It is said she fell in love with a Mixtec Lord, the Lord of Tilantongo. Inside the monastery, close to the main stairway is a mural called "The Tree of Friars", depicting branches spreading out from St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican order. On each branch are rows of saints and martyrs, some clutching their own heads severed from their bodies. Nearby, an inlaid plaque displays the date of construction alongside several Mixtec motifs. The date is 1555. 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. The feast day of Santiago Cuilapan (Saint James Cuilapan) is celebrated on July 25 each year. The Dance of the Conquest, a reenactment of Cortés' defeat of the Aztecs, is presented by plumed dancers wearing spectacular oversized disc-shaped headdresses. The dance, performed in the atrium of the monastery, has roots extending back to the annual commemoration by the Mixtec people here in Cuilapan of an ancient victory they had achieved over their Zapotec rivals. At the time of the Conquest, Cuilapan was a Mixtec enclave in otherwise Zapotec territory. The monastery also played an important role in the history of Independent Mexico. About 300 years after its construction, the Templo de Santiago Apostol served as a prison for Vicente Guerrero. In 1831, 10 years after the formal Declaration of Independence of Mexico, Vicente Guerrero, (one of the leaders of the independence movement) was forced to step down from the presidency due to a coup led by the infamous Genera Santa Anna. Guerrero fled Mexico City, but was betrayed and captured in Huatulco. From there he was sent to the Convent of Cuilapan to spend his last few days. Guerrero was then tried and executed in Cuilapan de Guerrero - a town later named after him.