The miracle of Tepeyac in Yucatan
The monastery of St. Michael Archangel, built between 1603 and 1709, stands in the historic center of Maxcanú, a town located 65 km (40 miles) from Merida. The monastery complex is a fine example of Yucatecan colonial religious architecture, and it also houses several sacred artworks. The most remarkable is the great gilded reredos behind the high altar, which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in Yucatan, as much for its artistic quality as for the profusion of materials used in its manufacture.
In the central niche on the top level of the Maxcanú reredos there is a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, unique to the area. The piece directly references the traditional story of the Guadalupan miracle, as it shows St. Juan Diego with arms outstretched, holding the cloak or sackcloth on which the image of Mary has been imprinted. He displays it to the observer, just as he did that first time to bishop Juan de Zumárraga in December 1531.
At the bottom of the painting is a banner bearing the Latin phrase “Non fecit taliter omni nationi” (He has not done thus for any other nation), attributed to Pope Benedict XIV upon hearing the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac.
According to research carried out by Dr. Bertha Pascacio Guillén, an art historian who has studied the reredos in detail, the painting was commissioned in 1781, while the reredos was under construction. Although the authorship is uncertain, it is possibly the work of Tomás Salazar, a painter who was responsible for producing other pieces for the church in Maxcanú.
This authentic jewel of sacred art, along with the reredos itself, can normally be viewed during the opening times of the parish church of St. Michael.
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