The capilla posa is the architectural solution used in the monastery-ensembles of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

in the 16th century consisting of four vaulted quadrangular buildings located at the ends of the

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

outside them. Like the

capilla abierta A capilla abierta or “open chapel” is considered to be one of the most distinct Mexican construction forms. Mostly built in the 16th century during the early colonial period, the construction was basically an apse or open presbytery containi ...

, religious figures were posed in it, so the name of it, is a unique solution and a contribution of the

to universal art given its originality and the plastic and stylistic resources used in its ornamentation, with

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

and

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

art elements. As paradigmatic examples are those of Huejotzingo and Calpan in

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, which have an ornamental program made with tequitqui technique and based on

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

aesthetic canons, as a pure expression of

syncretism Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in t ...

. The Convent of San Miguel in Huejotzingo dedicated its chapels with advocacy to John the Baptist, James the Great, Our Lady of the Assumption and Saints Peter and Paul; they have a square base of 5.40 m on each side. The accesses to the plant are opened with reduced arches of linked mouldings, related to the decoration of the doorway del Convent and the representative cord of

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

. There are several theories about its function. It has been proposed that, following the processional path, the capillas posas served to "pose" or rest the

Blessed Sacrament The Blessed Sacrament, also Most Blessed Sacrament, is a devotional name to refer to the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated sacramental bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist. The term is used in the Latin Church of the ...

when it was taken out in procession through the atrium. Researcher Carlos Chanfón has suggested a didactic function to house groups of students who were catechized, since one function of the atrium in these sets was the teaching not only of religion but of the norms and offices of Western life. It has also been proposed its use and relationship with the four neighborhoods that used to settle in the towns and cities following the typical Spanish pattern and of which each one was in charge in its cleaning and maintenance. According to Antonio Rubial, they were able to serve as burial mounds of indigenous rulers. Margarita Martínez del Sobral has proposed its use as hermitages for the temporary isolation of the friars. Its origin has also been proposed in various ways. Carlos Chanfón has proposed his inspiration in the early churches and hermitages. According to the archaeological analysis of Mario Córdova Tello, its construction was not always part of the original design, as evidenced in the engravings of the capilla posa in the former Franciscan Convent of Huejotzingo, whose construction corresponds to the third stage (1545–1580) with engravings mentioning the year 1550. File:Capilla Posa Huejotzingo.jpg, Perspective of the capilla posa in Huejotzingo. In the foreground the walls of the Franciscan convent, at the bottom of the

Iztaccihuatl Iztaccíhuatl (alternative spellings include Ixtaccíhuatl, or either variant spelled without the accent) ( or, as spelled with the x, ), is a dormant volcanic mountain in Mexico located on the border between the State of Mexico and Puebla wit ...

volcano. File:Capilla posa de Epazoyucan, Hidalgo.jpg, In the foreground to the right, Augustinian capilla posa, Church and Convent of San Andrés Apóstol,

Epazoyucan Epazoyucan is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north ...

. File:Capilla posa de Tepoztlan, Morelos.jpg, Dominican capilla posa, Convent of la Natividad,

Tepoztlán Tepoztlán () is a town in the central Mexican state of Morelos. It is located at in the heart of the Tepoztlán Valley. The town serves as the seat of government for the municipality of the same name. The town had a population of 14,130 inhabit ...

References

{{reflist Spanish Colonial architecture in Mexico Roman Catholic churches in Mexico Chapels Architectural elements Church architecture

See also

References