The Order of the Universe
“The Order of the Universe”
©8/2007 M. Krapek.
18”X26” Prismacolor on Vellum
Interior of the San Xavier Franciscan Order Mission Church, established by Fr. Francisco Xavier de Kino, circa 1650. Rebuilt circa 1750.
Located on the Tohono O’Odham Nation village of W’ac, Arizona.
Still in use and being restored,
the murals are more naturally subdued.
Mayan Iconography is blueprint text!
Exhibiting purely Nahuatl iconography, the only surviving example in North America. Illustrating the Checkered Veil, and the undulating balustrade of the Vision Serpent of inspiration; Kukulkan. The Peyote Chakra domes, with the Lotus of Xibalba, the ‘Road to Awe’ seen in the central dome. Also interpreted are murals whose shadows reveal the Hunab-Ku sign seen as the miracle of tongues, and the Last supper as the Quincunx of the last days. The Zuvuya ‘Crack Between the Worlds’ is seen with Guadeloupe Hidalgo. The Cross seen as also the Medicine Wheel of the four directions. The pillars hold the Scales of Souls, and the Door to Dreams is painted on the left wall. These images are all complete for any eyes to see, but were purposefully played down to blend with the Spanish Colonial Mission theme. The iconography was undoubtedly a corroboration between the local laborers and their colonial allies. These Mission churches once dotted the landscape along the Santa Cruz River basin, which flows north from the interior of Mexico into Arizona.
Sourced from Castenada, Arguelles and Jenkins.
