Saint Joseph — Catedral Basílica de Durango

The heart of this quarry stone altar is the sculpture of Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus in his arms, an exceptional piece with characteristics of the Montañesine-Sevillian sculptural tradition that survives as a bridge between eras. Attributed to cabinetmaker Nicolás de Herrera, active in Durango in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the image is a masterful example of New Spanish baroque.

Originally it was accompanied by ten angels forming the same altarpiece, with a total of fourteen images carved in gilded wood; on the sides were two side altarpieces dedicated to the Virgin of Refuge and the Annunciation. Herrera, known for his skill in carving side altarpieces, gave the image a dynamism and warmth that contrast with the solidity of the stone frame.

The structure of the altar is an exercise in architectural harmony, presented as a twin composition to the Altar of Our Lady of the Rosary, creating a visual balance in the Cathedral's transept.

Its architecture is defined by composite columns dividing the space into three vertical bays, niches with carved pedestals housing the sculptures, a sectioned and dentated entablature adding a neoclassical rhythm, and an open circular pediment with a carved stone window with a scallop shell in the clerestory, symbolizing Christian baptism. The reliefs are profusely decorated with phytomorphic elements and the central Christogram of Jesus.