Santo Domingo, Oaxaca, Mexico

The Temple of Santo Domingo de Guzmán was built in the 16th century and is just as beautiful as any restored church form the time of the Conquistadors in Mexico.  A truly incredible legacy from a time of war, subjugation, and slavery. As with almost all temples of this type it is oriented east-west with it’s façade to the west, which reveals a symbolic sense that the divine light, the sun comes from the east.

Together with this is the combination of aspects that are similar to those in vogue in Europe during the years of its construction. The façade shows renaissance characteristics, among them is a bas relief of Santo Domingo and San Hipólito, while the interior is Baroque, the main knave is flanked by lateral chapels and has a canon dome that is decorated with scenes from the old and new testaments.

The pulpit was constructed with wood from the region and bears the image of some Dominican Saints. On the ceiling of the choir loft is the molded, polychrome and gold genealogical tree of Santo Domingo, which is without a doubt on of the most outstanding examples of the art of those days. However, to fully describe the architecture of this place would use rivers of ink, better to just visit.