Five hundred years of Dominican presence in Mexico (1526-2026)

Published on by Montserrat Franco

Oaxaca Sacro

An original work by Jose Luis Guzman Wolffer filmed at the Santo Domingo Temple, UNESCO world heritage site, Oaxaca

The commemoration of five hundred years of the presence of the Order of Preachers in Mexican lands represents a moment of special significance, especially in Oaxaca.

The jubilee invites us to look back at the historical origin of the Dominican presence in the region.

The first mission to head to New Spain departed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda in February 1526, arriving in Mexico City on the eve of the feast of the Apostle Saint James. With their arrival, a period of intense evangelizing activity began, culminating in the official founding of the Province of Saint James of Mexico in 1532, with its formal installation taking place on August 24, 1535. From then on, the preaching friars established communities in strategic locations such as Santo Domingo de México, Tepetlaoxtoc, Chimalhuacán Chalco, Cuernavaca, Oaxaca, and Yanhuitlán, promoting extensive missionary work, especially in the Mixtec and Zapotec regions.

Montserrat Franco and the Cecam Philharmonic at the Santo Domingo Church, Oaxaca. Photo: Mauricio Velazquez Torres
Brass ensemble at the cloisters of Santo Domingo. Photo credit: Mauricio Velazquez Torres
Soloists Diana Itzel Ramirez, María Reyna, Yobanca Matamoros and Montserrat Franco
Montserrat Franco and María Reyna, the Mixe Soprano
The Cecam Philarmonic, the Poliphonic Choir of Oaxaca, the brass ensemble, soloists and conductors
Montserrat Franco during the film of Oaxaca Sacro at the Santo Domingo temple

Oaxaca Sacro is a musical and documentary proposal that rescues the main indigenous languages of Oaxaca by incorporating their linguistic elements into an original sacred music composition, while also celebrating in 2026 the 500-year presence of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in Mexico through their history, legacy, and religious services in Oaxaca.

Composed by José Luis Guzmán Wolffer in seven movements that have been translated from the original Latin to different languages of Oaxaca by native speakers.

– PROCESSION / brass quintet

– MAGNIFICAT / sung in Mazatec by Soprano Montserrat Franco 

– REQUIEM / sung in Latin by the Polyphonic Choir of Oaxaca. Director: Israel David Rivera Cañas Sevilla

– MARCHA FÚNEBRE / sung in Zapotec by the Polyphonic Choir of Oaxaca

– SONAD LA MÚSICA Y ALEGRAOS / sung in Mixtec by Soprano Yobanca Matamoros

– AVE MARÍA / sung in ombeayiüts (Ikoots) by Mezzo-soprano Diana Itzel Ramirez

– AVE VERUM CORPUS / sung in Mixe by Soprano María Reyna

Cecam Philharmonic Band: Director Luis Porfirio Gutiérrez

Oaxaca Sacro will be aired in Oaxaca and Mexico TV during 2026 lent.

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