Four examples of Mayan Christian art
The baptismal fonts in the churches at Chikindzonot, Ichmul, Petulillo and Hunucmá display the talent of Pascual Ek or Pascual Estrella, a Mayan stonemason and sculptor noted for his skilfully produced sacred objects, mainly around the turn of the 19th century.
Inside the church at Chikindzonot, built in the 1790s, and dedicated to the Virgin of Candelaria, stands a font which is believed to be one of the artist’s first pieces. It is carved with the faces of cherubim and exuberant foliage, similar to a font in the church at Tihosuco, Quintana Roo.
The border of the monolithic font resembles a knotted cord, typical of Franciscan friars, and the bowl is carved with cherubim and lions that appear to wander through bushy undergrowth.
Chikindzonot is 165 kilometers (103 miles) east of Merida, and according to the Dictionary of Yucatecan Spanish, means “western cenote“, from chik’in, west, and dz’onot, cenote.
The font in the church at Ichmul dates from the early 19th century, and is also attributed to Pascual Ek. It is remarkable for its dense, finely-carved ornamentation, featuring relief of floral and plant motifs.
The intertwined stylized floral reliefs that spill over the central band, and the rim decorated with a repeating horseshoe motif, are complemented by the leaves of exotic plants, fruit and spiralling tendrils in the basin.
Ichmul, which is 172 kilometers (107 miles) southeast of Merida, means “between hills, or mounds”, according to Dr. Güémez Pineda, from ich, between, and múul, a hill or mound.
At Petulillo, close to Peto, and 165 kilometers (103 miles) southeast of Merida, the church dedicated to St. Joseph of the Mountain houses a beautifully carved font, probably also the work of the same Mayan artist.
Within the church, built in the first decade of the 19th century, stands one of the small community’s most precious jewels: a stone sculpture with unique carving. The villagers guard it zealously since, according to testimonials published in the Diario de Yucatan on the 18th of April 2018: “Some time ago people wanted to take it away, supposedly to make replicas, but the inhabitants refused.”
Although the church was abandoned for years, it has miraculously survived the passing centuries. So too the font, which seems to be a sculptural variation on the piece at Chikindzonot, although it is broken into two parts.
First, the font itself, closely linked in style and craftsmanship to other pieces by Pascual Ek, although here a wide basin is surrounded by the heads of angels or cherubim, which appear to emerge from a dense background of flowers and foliage. Second, the base, which has become separated from the basin, and boasts a carved angel standing with arms outstretched as if holding something.
The baptismal font in the church at Hunucmá, a building dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi and begun in the 16th century, is a unique jewel of sacred art, attached to the wall. It bears sculptures of cherubim and plant motifs, characteristic elements of the Mayan Christian style of Pascual Ek.
Above the stone basin, and also attached to the wall, is a stoup for holy water, which has the same carved motifs.
The font is semi-circular, and sits on a base featuring a supporting angel.
Hunucmá is 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of Merida, and according to Dr. Güémez’s dictionary, “abundance of water”, from hunak, very, much, abundant, and ha, water.
All of these baptismal fonts can be visited during the times of religious services in their respective churches.