Tlacochahuaya

At San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya (tlah-koh-chah-WYE-yah), about four miles (seven km) east of El Tule [1], stands the village’s pride and joy, the venerable 16th-century Templo y Ex-Convento de San Jerónimo. Dominican padres and their native acolytes, under the guidance of Father Jordán de Santa Catalina, began its construction in 1586 and completed it a few decades later.

Tlacochahuaya is usually a quiet little town except during holidays, notably the eight days of processions, dances, fireworks, and food that climax on September 30, the feast day of San Jerónimo.

The church’s relatively recent 1991 restoration glows so brilliantly, especially from the white baroque facade, that, standing beneath the spreading wild fig tree in the courtyard (or more precisely, atrium), you can feel the facade reflecting the warmth of the late afternoon sun.

The atrium appears big enough to assemble a crowd of about 5,000 folks, probably the number of local indígenas the padres hoped to convert during the 16th century. At the atrium’s corners stand the three open-air but arch-roofed chapels, or pozas, where the conversions took place.

Above the entrance portal, see San Jerónimo standing piously, his left hand on a skull, listening for the voice of God. Inside, glance upward at the lovely nave ceiling and appreciate the still-vital spirit of those long-dead artists who created its flowery, multicolored swirls. Look for the group of oil paintings depicting the legend of the Virgin of Guadalupe, with the last showing the roses miraculously tumbling from Juan Diego’s cape, emblazoned with her image.

Once when I visited, near the entrance was the pledge of the Sacerdote de Cristo (Priest of Christ), which, translated, reads:

The priest of Christ offers
THIS MASS
As if it were your
FIRST MASS
As if it were your
ONLY MASS
As if it were your
LAST MASS

Get there by car, guide, or the Sociedad Cooperativa Valle del Norte or Fletes y Pasajes local bus from the camionera central segunda clase in Oaxaca City [2].