Saint: San Acacio/Saint Achatius

José Benito Ortega, New Mexico,1875-1907 Gesso, and water-soluble paint on wood 20 ½” x 18 1/4 History Collection NMHM, 2007.32.25

Saint Achatius was a Roman soldier at the time of the emperor Hadrian in the second century and the leader of a martyred army. After a battle the soldiers retired as a group to Mount Ararat as converted Christians. Hadrian attempted to bring them back to duty unsuccessfully and they were crucified as punishment. Saint Achatius wears the uniform of a nineteenth-century soldier of northern Mexico and is depicted upon the cross with several soldiers beneath him.