Lateral altarpiece in the parish church of Conkal

Three holy friars, one altar

In the eastern lateral nave of the parish church attached to the ex-monastery in Conkal, very close to the entrance, stands one of the few Renaissance altarpieces surviving in Yucatan. 

The wooden altarpiece, which forms part of the monastery complex begun in 1551 and dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, was made between the 16^th and 18^th centuries. 

The piece has distinctive Gothic feature.  The main body is a single section horizontally and vertically, with a pediment on top.  The base is smooth white masonry, and the predella has simple cornices and architrave. 

The frieze or entablature and the protruding highlights of the decoration are framed by simple, unadorned mouldings.

At the top is a triangular pediment with mouldings featuring fruit details at both ends. The facing contains a high-relief representation of God the Father above a celestial choir of cherubim.

The piece contains other decorative elements, such as guardian angels surrounded by spiral plant motifs or rinceaux. The pilasters are also decorated with flowers, and the columns with acanthus leaves and Corinthian capitals.

In the center of the altarpiece there is a semi-cylindrical niche finished to look like a shell, with a glass frame and door. According to records made by Fernando Garcés Fierros for the INAH in 1995, it held a statue of the patron saint of the church.

At the end of the 20^th century, this figure was replaced by another Franciscan saint: St. Bonaventure, although not for long. According to statements from parishioners collected by Jorge Carlos Menéndez Moguel, parish priest of Conkal in 2023, the sculpture of St. Bonaventure, known as the “Seraphic Doctor” for the angelical virtues of his writings, was moved to the Archdiocesan Museum of Sacred Art, and since then the niche has been occupied by St. Martin de Porres.

This version of events is corroborated by Father Ricardo Ordóñez López, who remembers that when he took over the parish in 2005, the Dominican St. Martin was already on the altarpiece.

The carving of St. Francis now occupies a niche in the main reredos of the church, and is the focus of festivities on the 4^th of October, a date which the faithful celebrate with both religious and popular events.

In order to view this remarkable Renaissance altarpiece, the timetables of public activities in the church must be taken into consideration.

Location