Only the pipes remain of the Santa María Chachoapam organ. The priest in Nochixtlán, padre Ahuizotl Cruz Montes, discovered a group of battered organ pipes in a storage area next to the church. Once spread out, there were more than 200 pipes, nearly all bent and flattened from the high lead component in the alloy and because they were piled up and moved around for decades. Interestingly, they were conserved, when often the pipes are the first to disappear into the hands of local blacksmiths after the organ no longer functions. The group included at least 63 reeds (trompeta real and clarin) and many large and medium sized flue pipes. The only evidence of the many wooden pipes is the foot of one large pipe. People in the town remember the look of the organ in the choir loft, with some wooden pipes visible, but not its sound since the organ no longer functioned. The church was severely damaged during the 1957 earthquake, and the organ was lowered in pieces from the choir loft while a roof repair was underway. Like several other organs in Oaxaca, it fell apart while being raised up. The case and wooden pieces could already have been damaged by woodworm which is why the organ fell apart and the pieces were not preserved. It was soon dismantled and the pipes were stored. The largest principal pipe is incised with “Sol” or “G,” indicating that the lower chromatic octave may have been built with seven wooden pipes, as was the 8´ stopped flute (bardón). The organ had at least six registers, implying over 300 pipes. Unfortunately, this large organ seems to have lasted for only 80 years and was playable for perhaps only 50. The front of the church was rebuilt in modern style in 1963.