An exceptional Marian legacy
According to Fernando Garcés Fierros, expert in sacred art, the main reredos in the church at Tabi “is one of the most original and beautiful in Yucatan” and perhaps it houses the only camarín which preserves most of its original mural painting, dating back over four centuries.
The magnificent Solomonic reredos, constructed between 1690 and 1710, stands proudly inside the church at Tabi, part of the municipality of Sotuta, some 98 km (61 miles) south of Merida.
Popular tradition has it that the camarín at Tabi served as a model for the one occupied by Our Lady of the Assumption at Izamal.
Although the Catalogue of Religious Structures in Yucatan states that the church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, was built during the 16th century, there is an inscription on the central entrance arch with the date “24th of July 1700”, which refers to the completion of the church.
Garcés Fierros describes the main reredos at Tabi as measuring 12 m (40 ft) high by 6m (20 ft) wide, and dating from the 16th century. It is composed of three levels, made of polychrome wood with gold-leaf detailing.
Along the predella are images of four Doctors of the Church: Sts Ambrose, Gregory, Augustine and Jerome, and the four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
On the first level, Garcés continues, is a representation of the birth of the Virgin Mary, with her parents, Sts Joachim and Anne, and her presentation in the Temple.
In the center is a niche occupied by an image of the patroness, whose feast day is celebrated on the 8th of December, and a statue of the crucified Christ. Both are antique, possibly from the 17th century.
In the center, on the north or left side is a depiction of Mary’s betrothal to St. Joseph; in the center is Mary’s Assumption, accompanied by cherubim and seraphim in a unique composition not recorded in any earlier altarpieces, according to Garcés; and on the right side is the Annunciation.
Finally, in the center of the third level, which follows the rounded curve of the chancel walls and ceiling, there is a relief carving similar in style to the one below it, representing the Holy Trinity and flanked by two Solomonic columns.
In the two lateral spaces on the top level, the altarpiece is decorated with rinceaux and acanthus leaves. Each also contains a crest with a Latin phrase, and in the left space there is a sun, while the right contains a moon.
The altarpiece inside the Virgin’s camarín is 5 m (16 ft) high and 6 m (20 ft) wide, in a Baroque style, and according to Garcés Fierros dates from the 17th century.
The two altarpieces at Tabi, at the high altar and in the camerín, were rescued from complete abandonment thanks to the “Adopt an Artwork Yucatan” organization. Dr. Garcés headed the recovery and restoration work on both gems, which was carried out in four stages between 1999 and 2003.
The beautiful camarín piece was originally adorned with 12 paintings representing the Disciples, art expert Miguel Bretos explains, although there are 13 spaces.
According to the sacristan Florencio Poot May, until 1991 the top space on the altarpiece contained a picture of the Holy Spirit. After the “Adopt an Artwork” restoration, new canvases of the apostles painted by local artist Suemy Vallado Negroe were installed, along with a polychrome high-relief depiction of the Holy Spirit by Antonio Bacab, an artisan from Valladolid.
Some murals inside the camarín were also rescued: a depiction of Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt on the north wall; the Presentation of the Virgin, on the south wall; and the birth of Mary, to the east.
The main reredos and the altarpiece in the camarín in the church at Tabi (which means “connected, rooted” in Maya) can be viewed during times when the church is open.
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