Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DOUBLE MEANINGS: THE CHURCHES OF POTOSÍ
Withbeautifully carvedporticosandinteriors drippingwithgoldleaf,Potosí'schurchesare
amongst the finest examples of the mestizo-Baroque style , in which Christian European
and pre-Christian Andean symbolism are combined. The churches were built partly as a
straightforward expression of religious faith, but gratitude for the wealth of Potosí also
played a role: whereas Catholic churches almost always face west, those of Potosí look
south towards Cerro Rico. They were also part of a determined effort to convert the indi-
genous population: with hundreds of thousands of indigenous people from different ethnic
groups spending time in the city as workers under the mita system, Potosí offered a perfect
opportunity for inculcating the Catholic faith. As well as the many churches and convents
built for their own use, the Spaniards built fourteen parish churches for exclusive use by
the indigenous mitayos .
In time, Christianity gained widespread acceptance amongst the indigenous population,
at least on the surface. But as responsibility for building and decorating Potosí's churches
passed to indigenous and mestizo craftsmen and artists, a very distinct religious vision
began to emerge. From the second half of the sixteenth century the religious art and ar-
chitecture of Potosí began to incorporate more and more indigenous religious motifs in
a style that became known as mestizo-Baroque. The sun, moon and stars - central objects
in traditional Andean religion - appear alongside images of Christ and the saints, with the
Virgin Mary represented in triangular form like a mountain, clearly conflated with the
Andean earth goddess Pachamama.
These developments did not pass unnoticed by the Spanish authorities, but allowing a
little Andean religious imagery into the decoration of churches may have seemed a small
pricetopayforgettingtheindigenouspopulationtoacceptChristianity,albeitsuperficially.
Despite their beauty, however, these churches were the product of slave labour , and
they could scarcely conceal the contradiction between the avowed Christian beliefs of the
Spanish mine owners who funded them and the brutal reality of the mining regime these
same men controlled. It was said that though God ruled in Potosí's 34 churches, the Devil
laughed in his six thousand mines.
Arco de Cobija
Heading south from the Convento-Museo Santa Teresa and following the street down and
round to the left brings you to the Arco de Cobija on Calle Cobija, a colonial stone gateway
that once marked the entrance to the Spanish city centre from the Indian parishes to the south.
Unlike the Spanish side of the city, the Indian parishes have a much more disordered lay-
out,withnarrow,cobbledstreetswindingbetweencrumblingcolonialandnineteenth-century
houses.
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