The Penitente Moradas of AbiquiúAhlborn, Richard E.
History
The Penitente Moradas of Abiquiú
Ahlborn, Richard E.
Abiquiu (N.M.) -- Religious life and customs; Hermanos Penitentes -- New Mexico -- Abiquiu; Moradas -- New Mexico -- Abiquiu
[67] BOYD, in litt., Nov. 13, 1965.
[68] BOYD, loc. cit. Regarding construction, see E. BOYD, "New Mexican
Bultos with Hollow Skirts: How They Were Made," _El Palacio_, vol.
LVIII, no. 5 (May, 1951), pp. 145-148.
[69] WILDER and BREITENBACH, pls. 24, 25.
[70] HENDERSON, p. 26.
[71] JOSÉ ESPINOSA, op. cit., p. 75.
[72] DOMÍNGUEZ, _Missions_, p. 264 (ftn. 59). The brown robe worn by
Franciscans today is a late 19th-century innovation.
[73] BOYD, _Saints_, p. 133.
[74] BOYD, in litt., Nov. 13, 1965. For a comparative illustration of
St. Joseph, see WILDER and BREITENBACH, pl. 42.
[75] HENDERSON, p. 51, notes this pair of candelabra with the 13
sockets. Fifteen is the ecclesiastically correct number for _tenebrae_
services.
[76] _Acts of Incorporation_, microfilm, Corporation Bureau, State
Capitol, Santa Fe; see also Land Records, _General Indirect Index_,
Rio Arriba County Court House, vols. I (1852-1912) and II (1912-1930).
[77] HENDERSON, p. 51, describes the _angelito_, in the dim light of
the _morada_ ceremony, as a "dove like a wasp." Another angel figure
was given me through Regino Salazar by one of the _penitente_ brothers
of Abiquiú. According to E. Boyd, it appears to be the work of José
Rafael Aragon, who worked in the Santa Cruz area after 1825.
_Summary_
The two Abiquiú _moradas_ are clearly parallel in their
architectural design (including the constricted chancels), in their
artifacts--especially _bulto_ identities such as Jesus (_Cristo_,
_Nazareno_, _Ecce Homo_, _Santo Niño de Atocha_), Mary (_Dolores_,
_Immaculata Concepción_, _Soledad_, _Guadalupe_), Saint John of
Nepomuk, Saint Peter, and death--and lastly, in the ceremonies held
in the buildings, which link rather than separate the _penitente_
movement and the common social values of _Hispano_ culture.
Edmonson uses six institutional values to define _Hispano_ culture.[78]
All six can be found in the _penitente_ brotherhood. "Paternalism" is
found in the relation of the members-at-large to the officers and of
all the _penitente_ brothers to _Nuestro Padre Jesus_, "Our Father
Jesus." "Familism" is reflected in the structure of the _penitente_
organization and especially in the extension of its social benefits to
the entire community. "Dramatism" is an essential ingredient of
_penitente_ ceremonies such as the _tinieblas_. "Personalism" is
revealed in the immediate and individual participation of all members
in _penitente_ activities. "Fatalism" is the focus of Holy Week and of
funerals and is personified by the _muerte_ figure in each _morada_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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