The state of Oaxaca houses one of the world´s most extraordinary collections of historic pipe organs. Sixty - nine instruments built between 1686 and 1891 remain today as evidence of Oaxaca´s glorious musical past, when a church was not considered complete unless it had an organ. It is probable that there are still more such organs in Oaxacan villages which have not yet been reported, and it is urgent to register them before they disappear.

Although many hundreds of pipe organs have existed in Oaxacan churches since 1544, the earliest reference to an organ, over the course of time most of these have been lost due to deterioration, natural disasters, neglect and/or willful destruction. However, even the relatively small sample of sixty - nine existing instruments is enough to reveal a fascinating panorama of organ culture spanning over two hundred years.

                    DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS

                          OF THE OAXACAN ORGANS

• Most of the organs are still in relatively authentic condition and have not been altered or modernized over the course of time. This is mainly due to the isolation and poverty of many of the communities in which they are located and the abandonment and neglect of the organs once they ceased to function.
• They preserve elements of Spanish baroque organ design, yet have also developed features particular to Oaxaca. These include a rounded lower case profile and unusually lavish case decoration on the cases and pipes of many 18th century instruments.
• They tend to be older than the organs found in other Mexican states. Nearly half of them date from the 18th century or earlier, whereas most of the organs from other areas 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 located in churches; none is in a museum.

THE INSTITUTE OF OAXACAN HISTORIC ORGANS

Founded in the year 2000 with the support of the Alfredo Harp Helú Foundation, the Instituto de Órganos Históricos de Oaxaca A.C. (Institute of Oaxacan Historic Organs or IOHIO, pronounced YOYO) focuses on the following goals:

• Protect, document and conserve the historic pipe organs in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico
• Ensure that the restored instruments are played, heard, and maintained on a regular basis
• Provide keyboard and technical training on the local level
• Promote the organs by means of concerts, festivals, publications, and recordings 
• Increase knowledge about the organs through archive and community research

The IOHIO is committed to safeguarding Oaxaca´s historic organs, for they represent not only a link to the history of their communities, but also an important aspect of the regional, national, and international heritage.

                     RESTORED OAXACAN ORGANS

Since 1991, organs in the following communities have been restored and are now playable:

• 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
• Zapotitlán Lagunas (partially restored)

 The remaining sixty-one instruments exist in varying states of conservation. Some are represented only by an empty exterior case or some interior parts, while others are largely intact. But no matter what their condition, all the organs can provide us with important information about construction techniques and musical characteristics of the past. It is most important to conserve them now in the hopes that sometime in the future, the more complete organs might be restored to produce music once again after so many years of silence.