The retablo mayor or main altar in Baclayon is one fine art that has not been fairly dated. For a church that was started in 1596 and completed in 1725, we can just assume that the altar was built sometime between 1725-1800.
In the beginning to the middle of the 17th century, baroque art flourished in Europe, a movement that would be a common channel for the Europeans to "protest" the new knowledge that science has put up; knowledge basically contrary to the common belief.
Baroque art, characterized by the flowery movements in designs and balanced composition is best exemplified by the Baclayon retablo, in fact the whole art piece in the 6o-ft or so altar is an untoward mixture of the baroque and the later European rococo.
The best thing, the Baclayon retablo is carved wood and later plated or more aptly gilt in pure gold.
How is that? Remember early Christians assembling in very dark rooms? It was also done in Baclayon. Their biggest problem then is how to show an artpiece in the altar when it cant be seen in the dark? The answer was quite simple. When gold glitters well in the dark, the answer was right there before them.
The whole altar was then gilt in gold, my sources from the National Museum roughly estimates the altar valued between P400 to P500M.
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