Narthex Polychrome Wooden Ceiling

Luis Mancuso S.J & Domingo Guerra
Santa Maria de Cuevas, Chih. 1700

The narthex’s polychrome ceiling showcases a coffered ceiling worked in perspective using the Trope l’oeil technique (fooling the eye). This unique perspective work within the state of Chihuahua underscores the Italian Renaissance influence brought by the Jesuit Sicilian missionary Luiggi Mancuso.

The conservation project of the narthhex ceiling was carried out by the nonprofit organization Misiones Coloniales de Chihuahua and 4heritage Conservation, thanks to the support of the tax incentive program “Eka Nawarame” from the Secretary of Culture of the state of Chihuahua, local authorities, and the Santa María de Cuevas community..

The conservation project spanned four months and involved the participation of two painting conservators and three young women from the community under the regulations of the Coordination Nacional de Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
They were trained during the project in conservation treatments at each stage of the project. They were able to develop new skills and gain a better understanding of the historical and artistic uniqueness with which the church was conceived and constructed.