Santos

Refers to small wooden or ivory carvings of saints and other holy figures produced for Roman Catholics in Spanish colonies in the Americas, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. It may also refer to later imitations of these early carvings. They are generally characterized by a style reminiscent of the seventeenth-century Spanish Baroque style, but use a less refined technique and primitive representations of facial features and anatomy; they were probably originally often carved by priests imitating imported sculptures. They were eventually influenced by indigenous styles. They became extremely popular in the Spanish colonies, and were typically found in every Christian home and placed in churches, where some became the focus of pilgrimage. It was customary to dress them in clothes made of fabric that was often decorated with intricate embroidery. The term may also refer to two-dimensional representations of saints, which are called "retablos" in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Three-dimensional images of saints are often called "bultos" in Mexico and the southwestern United States.