The Star of faith
The town of Peto is 180 km (112 miles) south of Merida, near the border with Quintana Roo. It is the seat of one of the largest and most important municipalities in Yucatan.
The town was founded in 1549 by Francisco Berreo, and remained as an encomienda during the colonial period. In the 19th century, it was the scene of fighting during the Caste War, and later became a hub for the local chewing-gum industry. The place name comes from the Maya pet uj, which can be translated as “crown of the moon” or “halo round the moon”.
Peto’s parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption is undoubtedly an outstanding example of Yucatecan religious architecture, not only for its size and the beauty of its carved stone portals, but also for the set of altarpieces and sacred images housed in its interior.
According to an inscription engraved on one of the gables adorning the main façade, the first stone was laid on the 1st of January 1759, and the building was concluded in 1779. The project was handled by the then parish priest, Joseph Espinoza.
The main reredos is from the 18th century, probably made shortly after the church was completed. It has three levels and three vertical divisions, with a gable and a base or predella.
In the niches, of which there are eight in total, stand sculptures of various saints. The finest is the image of the patroness, Our Lady of the Assumption, which occupies the central position on the top level. The framework of the structure is provided by beautiful wooden estipite columns, painted blue and white, with gilded details.
In his book History of the Church in Yucatan from 1887 to Today, Francisco Cantón Rosado notes that the tabernacle or casket attached to the lower level of the reredos may have been added in the early 20th century, when major refurbishment work was carried out in the church.
In one of the chapels on the north side of the church, up against the wall, is the altarpiece of the Virgin of the Star, a statue of Mary which is the object of deep devotion among the inhabitants of Peto and surrounding villages.
In an interview published in the Diario, Arturo Rodríguez Sabido, chronicler of Peto, recounts the popular tradition regarding the origin of the revered statue, which had two “twins” earmarked for the Franciscan monasteries at Izamal and Merida. The image of Mary may date from the 17th century, and appears listed in an inventory of the parish in 1826.
The altarpiece housing the Virgin of the Star is remarkable for its beauty and for its symbolic content. It is painted in red, with details in gold leaf, and has a single section. There are two pairs of Solomonic columns decorated with floral motifs, vine leaves and bunches of grapes.
The gable at the top is adorned with various Marian symbols, such as a tower, a palm tree and a fountain. At the top center are a pair of angels, rather naively depicted, holding an imperial crown and surrounded by the sun, moon and thirteen stars. Between the columns is a niche where the patroness of Peto normally stands.
These jewels of Yucatecan sacred art are open to the public during the times of services in Peto’s church of Our Lady of the Assumption.
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