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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Matatlan, Land of Art and Mezcal, in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca

After our Sunday-morning concert at Tlacochahuaya, we drove further down the road in the Central Valley of Oaxaca, towards Mitla, and after lunch, we stopped off at Matatlan, a town well known for having several distilleries of Mezcal, the drink famous here in Oaxaca, for usually having its characteristic worm at the bottom of the bottle.
 
 
 
It was early Sunday afternoon, and the church was closed when we arrived, as all the morning services were over, and the priests had left for lunch, and quite possibly for an early afternoon siesta or nap. So as you can see, even the gate that opens up to the atrium was closed.

Once the gate of the atrium was
opened, we received a beautiful
welcome from this blossoming
Bougainville.

Many of us had difficulty trying to peal our eyes
away from this Bougainville so as to study the
impressive and equally beautiful façade of the
Church of Santiago Matatlán.  




Santiago, Matamoros, mounted on his horse.

It looked to us pilgrims as if
Santiago Matamoros was wise
enough to look for a place in
the shade from the scorching
sun and heat of the Valle Central
 

Eventually the sacristan opened the doors of the
Church of Santiago for us.



Cruz Atrial or Courtyard Cross in front of the
façade of Santiago Matatlán.
 
Courtyard of what once was a small cloister.

Retablo or altarpiece of the main altar of Santiago
Matatlán.

Side altar of Santiago Matatlán.


Side altar Retablo devoted to the Blessed Virgin

View of the main aisle from the choir loft.

This Retablo depicts some of the
main events of the Passion of Christ
 









Case of the historical and yet-to-be
restored organ of Santiago Matatlán.


This Matatlán organ is beyond
restoration. It might someday be
subject to a full "reconstruction".

The organ is presently in the
choir loft.










The organ stops or push-and-pull
bottoms are still present.
Estela at the kiosko or
bandstand of the central plaza
of Matatlán.
 

 

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