James Cordova Arts

Retablo, 1997

Hand-adzed wood, home-made gesso, water-based natural pigments, piñon-resin varnish, leather.

La Santísima Trinidad (The Most Holy Trinity)

A representation of the three divine persons (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) that constitute God as a being. The trinity is considered to be the most profound mystery of Christianity. Among New Mexican santos, the Trinity is most often depicted as three identical men belonging to one body. They often sit on a stylized globe representing the world. Another less-commonly depicted representation of the Trinity in New Mexico includes God the Father as an old man with a gray beard holding the crucified body of Christ. In these examples the Holy Spirit is represented as a white dove descending upon the Father and Son.