A Mexican Beauty

In the Yucatán, a state in Mexico, there is a town called Uayma (pronounced why-mah) which houses an unusual and yet so-very-wonderful building.  The Maya used this area to construct a temple but in the 18th century, the Franciscan order transformed it into a convent named Santo Domingo (St. Dominic) and a few years later, it became a church.  The Franciscan order was responsible for the building being so exuberantly decorated.

Iglesia de Santo Domingo ~ St. Dominic Church

To give you an idea of height, take a look at this Flickr image…!

The interior and exterior was stuccoed over the original Mayan stones and then incised with rosettes, flowers and geometric patterns.  The flowers were symbolic and meant to represent the peacefulness of heaven.  The ornamentation was painted with bright red, turquoise, yellow, green and off-white, symbolizing, among other things, faith, blood and progress.  It’s incredible to note that such a bright façade houses a building that has a tumultuous past filled with political intrigue and religious intolerance.

Here you can see an area prior to the restoration.

The Mayan stones and work are on the right. On the left you can see the stucco work that the Franciscan Order used to cover the Mayan temple.

A restored pulpit...

The Baptistry

Here’s another view of the nave above via a beautiful Flickr stream.

In the 19th century, the church was nearly destroyed.  Recent restoration efforts by the collaboration of the Adopte Una Obra de Arte organization (translation: Adopt a Work of Art) and INAH, the National Institute of Anthropology and History brought it back to its original condition.  The church officially reopened in November 2004.

Today, the St. Dominic Church is one of Uayma’s primary attractions.  I’d love to see it (and touch it!) in person — wouldn’t you?  I hope you’ve enjoyed this look into such an interesting building.  Have a wonderful weekend!

References: Mexican Architecture, Yucatan Living and Yucatan Today