THE OAXACAN HISTORIC ORGAN INSTITUTE

The Mexican state of Oaxaca has long been recognized as one of the most culturally rich areas in the world. Celebrated for its archaeological sites, colonial art and architecture, folk art and traditional festivals, ethnic and linguistic diversity, varied ecology and scenery, and even its cuisine, now yet another attraction must be added to Oaxaca's many riches: the historical pipe organs.

Sixty-eight organs built between 1686 and approximately 1900 remain today as evidence of Oaxaca´s glorious musical past. Many hundreds of pipe organs must have existed in Oaxaca since 1544 when the first organ was cited, but over the course of time the great majority of these have been lost due to normal deterioration, natural disasters, ignorance and/or willful destruction. However, even the relatively small sample of sixty-eight existing instruments is enough to reveal a fascinating panorama of organbuilding in Oaxaca from the late 17th through the 19th centuries. It is also highly probable that there are more such organs in Oaxacan villages waiting to be “discovered.”

The Oaxacan organs are distinctive for several reasons:

• Most of them are still in relatively authentic, unaltered condition. This is largely due to the isolation and poverty of many of the communities in which they are located, the abandonment and neglect of the organs once they no longer functioned, and the conservative nature of organ repairs over time.
• They preserve elements of baroque Spanish organ design, yet at the same time have developed characteristics particular to Oaxaca. These include a distinctive lower case profile and unusually lavish case decoration on many 18th century organs.
• They tend to be older than the organs found in other Mexican states. Nearly half of them date from the 18th century or earlier, an unusually high proportion of older instruments, whereas the majority of other groups of organs date from the 19th century.
• They were for the most part built in the state of Oaxaca, with a few later examples originating in Puebla. All of them are still located in churches, with only a few of them not in their original churches, and none are in museums.

While organ experts have been aware of the Mexican historical instruments for some time, it is only in recent years that a growing interest in pipe organs has brought them to the attention of organ and early music lovers world-wide. This has resulted in organ restoration projects all over Mexico, beginning in the 1970s.

In Oaxaca, seven instruments have been restored since 1991, located in the communities of:

• San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya
• San Andrés Zautla
• Santa María de la Natividad Tamazulapan
• The Oaxaca Cathedral (Oaxaca City)
• Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán
• La Basílica de la Soledad (Oaxaca City)
• Santa María de la Asunción Tlaxiaco
(An eighth organ in Zapotitlán Lagunas is partially restored.)

The remaining sixty instruments exist in varying states of conservation. Some are represented only by an empty exterior case or some interior parts, but even these can still convey important information to us today about the construction techniques and tonal characteristics of the past. Fortunately, there are many other beautiful unrestored organs which are largely intact. It is hoped that someday they might recover their voices, to speak to us once again after so many years of silence.

The mission of the Instituto de Organos Históricos de Oaxaca A.C. is to protect, document and conserve the historic pipe organs in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico; to ensure that the restored instruments are played, heard, and maintained on a regular basis; to provide keyboard and technical training on the local level; and to increase knowledge about the Oaxacan organs through archive and community research. By means of these activities, we hope to promote the traditional role of the organ as the foundation for liturgical music, its modern role as a concert instrument, and its continuing role as an accompaniment for local celebrations. We are committed to safeguarding Oaxaca´s organs, whether restored or not, for they represent a link to the history of the communities in which they are located, as well as an important aspect of the regional, national and international heritage.

The Oaxaca Cathedral	San Andrés Huayapan	San Matías Jalatlaco	San Dionisio Ocotepec	San Pedro Quiatoni	Basílica de la Soledad
Santa María de la Natividad Tamazulapan	San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya	Asunción de María Tlacolula	Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán	San Pedro Martir Yucuxaco	San Andrés Zautla

Map locating the state of Oaxaca in Mexico.