Instituto de Órganos Históricos de Oaxaca, A.C.

A harmonium is distinguished from an
Wedge bellows in open position that organ by the lack of pipes, the row of
transmit the air to the organ; the pleats horizontal buttons that control the regare covered with sheepskin.
isters, and two pedals, pumped to transmit air to the instrument. Starting in the
20th century, harmoniums gradually
began to replace pipe organs.
www.iohio.org.mx
Reforma 504, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca, Oax. México
Tel. (951) 516-3956
email: iohio@iohio.org
Santa María de la Asunción Tlacolula (1791)
Photo: David Hilbert
Photo: David Hilbert
Photo: Joel González IOHIO
The organ case in San Juan Teitipac, The upper case of the organ in Ihuitlán
converted into a confessional.
Plumas, now used as an altarpiece.
Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán (1690)
San Andrés ZAutla (1726)
The Cholula organ repositioned on
its original table.
Photo: Eric González
Photo: Joel González IOHIO
Photo: Joel González IOHIO
Santa María de la Asunción Tlaxiaco (ca. 1800)
Basílica de la Soledad (1686)
Processional organ in San Pedro Cholula, used to store documents inside the
case where the pipes used to be.
San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya (ca. 1730)
Instituto de
Órganos
Históricos de
Oaxaca, A.C.
Photo: David Hilbert
Catedral de Oaxaca (1712)
How to Recognize
a Historic Organ
The Historic Organs of
Oaxaca, Mexico
Special Characteristics
of the Oaxacan Organs
Instituto de Órganos
Históricos de Oaxaca a.c.
One of Oaxaca’s lesser-known cultural treasures
is its outstanding collection of baroque pipe organs.
Seventy-two organs built between 1686 and 1891
remain today as evidence of a glorious musical past
when Oaxaca was the third most important center
of music in New Spain, after Mexico City and Puebla. Beginning in the 1990s, a growing awareness
and appreciation of these marvelous instruments
has led to conservation and restoration projects, as
well as increasing use of the organs through masses and church celebrations, concerts, and festivals
throughout the state.
Although many hundreds of organs have existed
in Oaxaca since 1544 (the earliest archival reference
to an organ), over the course of time most of them
have been lost due to normal deterioration, natural
disasters, neglect, and/or willful destruction when
they ceased to function. Nine organs have been restored, reconstructed, or repaired and are now playable, while the remaining sixty-three instruments
exist in varying states of conservation. Some are represented only by an empty exterior case or some
interior parts, while others are completely intact
and may be restored someday.
The Oaxacan organs preserve elements of Iberian baroque organ design—one 45-note keyboard
with a short octave (until the mid-19th century), no
pedals, and meantone temperament—at the same
time that they developed idiosyncratic exterior features—a profile with rounded protuberances on
the sides (“hips”) and the unusually lavish case and
pipe decoration of many 18th-century instruments.
Founded in 2000 with the support of the Alfredo Harp
Helú Foundation, el Instituto de Órganos Históricos
de Oaxaca or Institute of Oaxacan Historic Organs
(IOHIO, pronounced YOYO) strives to raise awareness
about the organs by means of the following activities:
But despite their condition, the sample of seventy-two organs is enough to reveal a fascinating
panorama of construction techniques and musical
characteristics spanning over two hundred years.
Furthermore, it is almost certain that there are still
more organs in Oaxacan communities waiting to be
discovered, and it is urgent to register them before
they disappear.
Most of the organs are still in relatively authentic
condition and have been little altered or modernized over the course of time. This is in large part related to the geographical isolation and poverty of
many of their communities, the abandonment and
neglect of the organs, and a conservative tradition
of organ building in Oaxaca which was resistant to
change.
Around 40% of the Oaxacan organs date from
the 18th century or earlier, whereas most of the
organs in other states of Mexico date from the 19th
century.
Most of the organs were built in the state of Oaxaca,
with the exception of a few later examples originating in Puebla. Although projects were often supervised by non-Oaxacan maestros, the actual construction and decoration of the organs would have
been carried out by local artisans, manifesting the
same talent for fine craftsmanship which still flourishes in the state today.
All the Oaxacan organs are still located in churches;
not one of them is in a museum.
Assure that the restored instruments are played and
maintained and that the unrestored instruments are
protected, conserved, and documented
Offer musical and technical training at the local level
Promote the organs through concerts, festivals,
publications, conferences, and recordings
Increase knowledge about the organs through archive and community research
MISSION: The IOHIO is committed to protect, conserve,
document, and promote the historic pipe organs in
the state of Oaxaca, Mexico; to raise consciousness
about their importance as part of the national and
international cultural heritage; and to reintegrate the
restored instruments into the present-day life of their
communities.
VISIÓN: We believe that the historic pipe organs
merit respect and support. These multifaceted instruments still delight us with their rich sound, their
precise mechanism, and their elegant appearance. In
addition, they represent a link to the history of their
communities and remind us of the commitment of the
ancestors of present-day Oaxacans who financed their
construction.
Restored or Reconstructed
Organs in Oaxaca
San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya (restored 1991)
San Andrés Zautla (restored 1996)
Oaxaca Cathedral (reconstructed 1997)
Santa María de la Natividad Tamazulapan
(reconstructed 1997)
Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán (reconstructed 1998)
La Basílica de la Soledad (restored 2000)
Santa María de la Asunción Tlaxiaco (restored
2002)
San Pedro Zapotitlan Lagunas (repaired 2003)
Santa María de la Asunción Tlacolula (restored
2014)
Directed by keyboardist Cicely Winter, the IOHIO is a non-profit organization (Asociación Civil or A.C.) that functions in
collaboration with the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e
Historia (INAH, the Mexican institution which oversees the
protection of the national heritage), officials of the towns with
organs, ecclesiastical authorities, directors and researchers
in Oaxacan archives, cultural institutions of the state government, organists, musicians and scholars in Mexico and
abroad, and a Board of Advisors consisting of thirty experts
from nine countries.
Instituto de
Órganos
Históricos de
Oaxaca, A.C.