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All Mexico Angahuan Iglesia de Santo Santiago Apóstol (Church of Saint James the Apostle)

Iglesia de Santo Santiago Apóstol (Church of Saint James the Apostle)

Located in the shadow of a volcano, this church is tied to the culture of the Purépecha people.

Angahuan, Mexico

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linkogecko
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Church facade and flagpole.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Church facade and flagpole.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Details of the mudéjar facade.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Figure of Santiago Matamoros (Saint James Moorkiller), with a US dollar bill.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Church of Santo Santiago Apóstol.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Atrium cross with skull and crossbones.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Crucifix on an outside wall of the church with cempasúchil flowers for Day of the Dead.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Church and huatápera.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Angahuan’s huatápera (communal government house), located across the street from the church.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
The Purépecha tetracolor flag, which flies in front of the church on special occasions.   Marrovi
Interior of the church with wooden ceiling.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The town of Angahuan in Mexico’s Michoacán state is home to about 4,000 people, a majority of whom belong to the Purépecha (also spelled P'urhépecha) community. One of its landmarks is Iglesia de Santo Santiago Apóstol (Church of Saint James the Apostle). The church was built for Franciscan missionaries in the late 16th century, and its facade features carvings in the Mudéjar style, which blends Christian and Islamic architecture. It is one of the earliest religious buildings built in Michoacán

At the front of the church sits a cross carved from volcanic stone with a skull at its base. Missionaries used symbols like these to convert indigenous people who worshipped death and death-related gods. By tying a symbol of Catholicism to a symbol of the existing religion, they hoped to convince indigenous people to approach churches and convents. 

Iglesia de Santo Santiago Apóstol is dedicated to Saint James, and features imagery of him as an apostle and as the Matamoros (Moor-Killer), a supposed apparition of the saint in Spain's Reconquista period. Offerings left for the saint include United States currency, in the hopes of economic prosperity and the well-being of loved ones living north of the border.

Across the street you’ll find Angahuan's huatápera, a Purépecha community house used by locals for decision-making and celebrations. The town falls under Mexico's usos y costumbres (rituals and customs) system, which gives indigenous-majority communities more autonomy in their governmental organization.

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Churches Architecture Christianity Indigenous Sacred Spaces

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Buses run regularly between Angahuan and Uruapan. The church is central to community celebrations such as Santo Santiago (July 25), the Assumption of the Virgin (August 15), the Virgin of Guadalupe (December 12), and Christmas (December 25).

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Added By

linkogecko

Published

December 13, 2019

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Sources
  • http://www.cambiodemichoacan.com.mx/nota-n21307
  • https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/fiesta-en-angahuan-michoacan.html
  • http://digest.champlain.edu/vol1/rn1_1.html
  • https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/angahuan/attractions/iglesia-de-santiago-apostol/a/poi-sig/1386290/361675
  • http://michoacan.travel/en/places/church-of-santiago-apostol-angahuan.html
Iglesia de Santo Santiago Apóstol (Church of Saint James the Apostle)
Barrio del Calvario
Angahuan
Mexico
19.547369, -102.224415
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Nearby Places

Troje Murals of Angahuan

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Photo of Angahuan

Angahuan

Mexico

Places 4

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Troje Murals of Angahuan

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miles away

Viejo San Juan Parangaricutiro

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Photo of Angahuan

Angahuan

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