Early Spanish Colonial Christ Cross Statue in Puebla de Oro, Yucatan

Old quaint Spanish Colonial towns and their Cathedrals are very alluring to me. I love the ornate architecture and stylized art during that era.

It was 1995, I was traveling around Yucatan with my son, whom at the time was 11. Our home base hotel was in Merida. Merida is a very centralized city in Yucatan, with public transportation to various ancient sites and municipalities. While in Yucatan, we visited many places old and new. One day Colton and I took a bus to Puebla de Oro, a very small, quaint Spanish Colonial town built over the fallen ruins of an ancient Mayan Stepped Pyramid. Its name, "Puebla de Oro," is as it defines; a town that consisted of all Yellow/Gold painted structures, and even the walls lining the pathways were painted gold. We saw this beautiful old Gold Mission - Cathedral; we walked through its gardens and ventured into its interior.

We entered into a small Chapel space and we were both stunned by such an ‘odd ’ in a way, stylized statue of a Man and Christ. Is this to be symbolic of ‘Man ’ that was made in the image of ‘God,’ and with ‘Jesus ’ being his ‘Son,’ thus the ‘Trilogy, ’ ‘Father, Son and the Holy Ghost ? ’ (Which I am not very sure about as I am not Catholic, so I am not too familiar with all the right terminologies and rituals.) …..but anyway…….

I think this is such a fabulous statue and piece of art. I’m not sure what the actual statue was created from, whether wood or plaster, or combination there of. I never touched it, I just viewed it. This Man looks neither Spanish to me, nor of Indigenous Maya …..He looks like a very squeaky clean and clean cut 1950s disrobed Gentleman….(to me) …way out of context in my brain for what I would expect from an ancient Cathedral in the middle of the jungle of Yucatan.

I must say, the statue was and is, still very fascinating to me.

This photo was taken in low light, hand held with my old Yashica 35mm film camera ( I forget which model # at this moment in time…) negative printed, held in photo album forever, then digitally scanned, imported into Fotor, and finally digitally artistically altered just a tad for more added beauty :)

Thank you, Colette