Weeping Temples of the North. Graffiti in the Mudéjar Tradition in Three Churches of the Northern Provinces of New Spain

Abstract

This article sets out to initiate debate concerning certain artistic manifestations found in church architecture located in Nothern New Spain, in which survivals of the Mudéjar decorative tradition can be appreciated in the form of incised graffito and raised decorative pointing, which portray an economy of execution that is characteristic to Spains rural zones. The analysis centers on both the type of graffito figure known as lágrima (tear) or gota (drop) and on the figurative forms that decorate the walls of the corpus analyzed here, so as to show the survival of elements which evidence Mudéjar influence in Spanish America and to show how these survivals acquired a language and symbolism of their own.