10:07PM, internet cafe, oaxaca city

i'm sitting here this evening a bit bleary-eyed and certainly craving coffee. the past couple of days have been full. good and adventurous, but full and tiring. among our adventures: a mexican/oaxacan culinary class, a lot of artesania shopping (the incident with the zapotec woman didn't deter my shopping endeavors!), visiting local churches and art museums, and traveling to some craft villages just outside of town.

yesterday afternoon, after cooking class and its subsequent large lunch, callista and i decided to walk to the templo and ex-convento santo domingo. tour books refer to it as oaxaca city's "pride and joy" and other travelers we've encountered have also highly recommended it. they say that it's a beautiful church, with a gorgeous botanical garden and museum annex. apparently, construction of the church started in the middle of the 16th century, but was not completed until the 18th century.

we walk up the hill to the santo domingo complex in the late afternoon. the doors are open, but the sun is bright, casting shadows on the inside of the church from afar. as we approach, however, i can see flashes of gold at the altar. callista remarks that the facade of the church looks much like catholic churches she has seen in italy. she's right. the elaborate stone engraving seems european, but the stone figures of saints are shorter, with broad faces and wide hands and feet.

stepping into the church literally leaves me a bit breathless. the dark gold gleams not only from the altar, but at all four walls of the church as well as the ceiling. every inch of the walls and ceiling seem to be covered with gold encrusted religious paintings and figures. there are several sub-altars within the church where people light candles, kneel, and mumble prayers.

it is beautiful, but it is too beautiful.

as a catholic, part of me appreciates that the "religious" of these time periods wanted to create an amazing building to glorify God. a place where people could worship. another part of me feels overwhelmed at the richness of it all. it feels almost ostentatious. i think, with just part of the gold that was used as decor in santo domingo, the modern day church could take care of oaxaca's struggling and poor. i think, wouldn't that bring more glory to God?

i'm on my soapbox, i know. but i feel so much more comfortable as i enter the carmen alto church, just a few blocks north of santo domingo. built with high ceilings, this church is painted white with blue accents, a bit of gold at the altar and the same faithful murmuring prayers and lighting candles on either side of the church. though simple in comparison to santo domingo, it inspires reverence in its plainness.