San Jeronimo Tlacochahuya

San Jeronimo Tlacochahuya.  Many towns in Mexico have three names:  the name of the patron saint of the town, and, in Oaxaca, a Mayan or Zapotec name.  There are many towns called Etla, so it's necessary to use all three names in order to identify the correct one.  Mostly, though, locally towns are just called by one name.  This is the famous church in Tlacochahuaya.  I didn't take a photo from the front gate...the courtyard around the church is fully walled.  In three corners, there are small arched roof, open air chapels where the Dominican padres fully intended to convert all the local savages.  The courtyard could hold about 5000 people, telling the size of the village when the Spanish arrived in this remote place.

They Spanish began building this church in about 1542, completing it a few decades later.  The indigenous paintings covering almost every surface are delightful, full of color and imagination.  The ceiling is covered with paintings, too, much like most every church built in the 16th century, but this one is not quite as formal as most of the others.  Right now, the church is undergoing extensive renovations, paid for by a private corporation, and some of the retablos have been removed for repair.  The two most famous ones are still in the church:  a Christ on the cross figure that has something to do with corn; and a series oil paintings depicting the legend of the Virgin of Guadalupe, with the last one showing the roses miraculously tumbling from Juan Diego's cape.

For me, though, the best part of the church is the bright painting, and the colonial period organ upstairs.  The organ is now only played by guest musicians, but it's pretty paintings match those of the rest of the church.  The bellows are the size of my dining room table, and require two men to operate!  The pipes of the organ, above the keyboard, are painted, too.  The air vents are painted to look like the mouths of a saint!

Behind the church, and attache to it, is the exconvento, being restored, too.  After touring the church, we walked through the park beside the church, and met Juan Carlos, JC, who had just returned to his home after being in LA for 15 years.  He was all smiles, talking about how much he loved being in LA, and would probably go back.  Often, locals we've talked to who speak pretty good english have been in the States.  Some want to return, others are happy to be home.  JC could only talk about going back.  When we asked him about the danger of going back, he only said that taking luggage was a problem.  After several conversations like this, I believe the men who travel illegally don't worry about the danger of travelling to the States, just the inconvenience.  JC's mother stood in the shade of the church while we visited, proud to have her son home.