Sierra Gorda Part 10: Misión San Francisco de Tilaco (Atrium and Facade)

This is the best preserved of the five missions in the Sierra Gorda. In the 1980s, officials of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) stumbled upon one of the missions while lost on the Sierra Gorda's back roads. While Tilaco's mission was in fairly good shape, the effects of war, vandalism, and abandonment had caused significant deterioration to the others. INAH decided to restore all of them to their former glory and this was finally completed in 2002. The following year, the five missions were collectively declared a World Heritage Site.

Overview

Mission San Francisco viewed from across the valley. I took this shot with my telephoto, so the mission was a lot further away than it appears here. The town of Tilaco surrounds the church, but is almost invisible through all the trees. Unlike the other missions, which were built on flat ground, this one was constructed on the sloping foothills of a mountain. Its position provides a spectacular view of the valley below it and the surrounding mountains.

Both the dome of the church and its small cupola are octagonal. Eight round windows provide light to the interior of the church. The dome covers the center of the transept, which is the area just in front of the main altar where the nave and the transept cross. As you can see, the day was cloudy and constantly threatening to rain, so some of my photos are a bit darker than I would have liked.

The bell tower is topped by three highly decorated levels.The lowest level has openings for four large bells, which are rung by ropes like the one you can see hanging down. The second and third levels are hexagonal, so they could theoretically contain six bells each. However, there were no bells in the openings, at least that I could see. 

The first and second levels have niches for statues, but none were filled that I could see. The statues may have been stolen or destroyed during the Revolution or the Cristero War that followed soon after. The upright structures on each corner of the first two levels are called finials. The niches on the first level have spiraling  Solomonic columns , while those on the upper levels are straight. 

Atrium and Wells

The atrium is surrounded by a low, crenellated wall . There are three gates, one on either side and one in the front. The front gate seen above is the main one and it opens out to a small but attractive plaza under some trees. The small, domed structures at the two corners are called pozos. While the Spanish word pozo means "well", in this context it refers to a form of Spanish colonial religious architecture. In the distance, you can see the mountains from which I took my telephoto shot of the mission.

View of the atrial cross, a pozo, and the main gate. Pozos were constructed for use during ceremonial processions around the atrium and are among various Spanish colonial religious structures that are unique to this period. Atriums were particularly important in the early days of evangelization, when they were used for mass conversions because there were far too many native people to fit inside the early churches. In fact, they were more accustomed to worshiping that way. In pre-hispanic times, the common people had gathered for religious ceremonies in the open and only those of the elite class were allowed inside temples. 

View down the walkway that connects the two pozos .  Statues of the Virgin or the saint to which a church is dedicated will often be paraded from place to place in an atrium. During the processions, stops are made at the pozos so that rituals can be conducted. In the background, dark rain clouds gather over the mountains. Although a storm constantly threatened, eventually the day ended sunny.

Facade

Tilaco's facade is less elaborate than that of the Landa mission, but is still complex. While Landa (see Part 9) has thirteen niches with statues, this facade contains only five. Some of the statues and other decorative features are similar, but there are also some differences. For example, the ground-level statues on either side of the entrance above closely resemble those at Landa representing St. Peter and St. Paul. However, the Tilacofacade's three other statues are different than those appearing on the Landa facade.

The second level of the facade is the most complex . In the center is the choir window, surrounded by four cherubs. The two above hold open some drapes while the lower two are grasping branches of vegetation. Below the choir window is the coat-of-arms of the Franciscans, showing the crossed arms of St. Francis and Jesus. The hands are each nailed to a cross. Framing the choir window are two stipite columns, each supported at the bottom by a seated mermaid with upraised arms. Finally, there is a niche on either side containing statues. The next two photos will take a closer look at these niches.

The Virgin Mary occupies the left-hand niche . It is not clear which of the many versions of Mary this represents. She stands with both hands pressed against her right breast, with her face turned reverently upward. At her feet are three cherub heads. The columns on either side burst with vegetation. At their bottoms are two heads, probably male, wearing elaborate collars around their necks. In this close-up shot, you can see the screen installed to protect the sculptures from bird damage.

Decorations on the left side of the facade's top level. There are nearly identical decorations on the right side. In the upper left is a seated angel who supports part of the structure with his upturned right arm. Below where he sits, an eagle or hawk spreads its wings and looks to the right. A profusion of flowering vines covers much of the remaining space. 

The topmost niche contains a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Order. Cradled in his left hand is a skull, representing death. Francis often contemplated death because of his failing health. On the left side, an angel strums a guitar, while the one on the right plays a violin. Above St. Francis are two cherubs, while below is a head with a woman's face, framed by wings. On either side of the niche are Solomonic columns. 

This completes Part 10 of my Sierra Gorda series. In the next part, we will take a look at the Tilaco church's interior and the attached cloister where the friars lived and worked. I hope you enjoyed this posting. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I may respond in a timely fashion.

See you later, Jim