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Temples, Churches and Ex-monasteries
Santo Domingo (Tehuantepec)
Description
Religious complex founded by the Dominican Order in the sixteenth century. The construction took place from 1544 to 1550, when Friar Fernando de Albuquerque was Vicar. It is said that the Zapotec king of Tehuantepec, Cocijopi, baptised as Juan Cortés de Cocijopi, offered his treasures and hundreds of indigenous people from his kingdom’s communities and tributary towns to aid in the construction of this complex.
The architectural complex includes the Santo Domingo Temple, the open chapel (now the San Pedro Cathedral), the atrial courtyard, and the cloister or ex-convent. The Santo Domingo temple, restored in 1953, is has just one nave covered with gothic rib vaulting. In its interior, three altars with religious sculptures stand out. The San Pedro Cathedral, covered with a wooden roof over arches and iron columns, contains the sagrarium, and altars dedicated to Jesus Christ, Virgin del Carmen, and the Virgin de los Dolores.
The facades of these two spaces correspond to modern restorations. On the north side of the temple is the Bishopric building, which displays a stone arcade. An atrial wall that includes two accesses delimits the atrium.
The ex-convent was rescued from ruins to become the headquarters for the Cultural Centre of Tehuantepec. The two story building is currently occupied by various workshops, exhibits, and presentations offered by this important cultural centre. Tempera paintings dating from the sixteenth to eighteenth century can still be seen on the walls and vaults.
Location
• Santo Domingo Tehuantepec: Is located 156 miles (251 kilometres) Southeast of the City of Oaxaca via highway 190 to the Isthmus. Approximate travel time: [4:30]
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