Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Showing Lynne the Sights



My company left this morning and now I have time to post again. While I catch my breath I will be showing you some of the photos I took during our sight seeing trips.

The first one is of Lynne on the covered patio at San Xavier del Bac Mission. The next two are photos taken at the Mission. It is being restored and they are still re-plastering the exterior. Notice how white the left side is. The right side is waiting until they finish the back. The interior is finished and the paintings are vivid. I had photos of the interior on a previous blog. The next two photos are taken of the exterior of San Xavier.



This day was our Mission trip. If you want to view a photo of San Jose de Tumacacori you can find it on a previous post. I seem to be unable to add another photo to this post.


The last on
e is of the mountains near the Mexico border en route to Tumacacori.


Some facts about the Missions:

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC

San Xavier del Bac was originally built on a site several miles north of the current location. The site was named Bac, meaning "Place where water appears." Between January, 1692 and 1700 a Jesuit Father Eusibio Francisco Kino laid the foundations of the first church. It was destroyed by the Apache Indians in 1770 and the site was moved to the Presidio Tucson for protection where it is located now.


Charles III of Spain mistrusted the Jesuits and banned them from all Spanish lands in the Americas. The Franciscan order then took over the Missions.

The present church
, fondly nicknamed The White Dove Of the Desert, was built in 1783-1797 with Indian labor and was established by Franciscan Fathers Juan Bautista Velderrain and Juan Bautista Llorenz. (Juan Bautista must have been popular names in those days.) It is considered to be the finest example of Spanish Mission architecture in the United States consisting of a seamless blend of Moorish, Byzantine, and late Mexican Renaissance architecture.

The missing tower is still a mystery. Some say an Indian fell to his death while constructing it, but the truth is still elusive. Other legends cite that unfinished buildings weren't taxed so the last bell tower was left unfinished.

The church is an active one serving the converted Christian O'odam
tribe (formerly known as the Papagos) and is open to all for worship.


MISSION SAN JOSE DE TUMACACORI

Father Eusebio Francisco Kino founded Tumacacori in January, 1691. The original mission was on a different site, but was relocated to it's present site in 1751 after a rebellion by the O'odams Indians. The Franciscans restored it to it's present form in 1828.

FATHER EUSEBIO FRANCISCO KINO

Father Kino was born in Italy in 1645. He died in 1711 in Mexico. His birth surname was Chino. He founded 24 missions and country chapels in Northern Mexico and Southern Arizona. Father Kino traveled 50,000 sq. miles on horseback mapping an area 200 miles long and 250 miles wide. He was an astronomer, cartographer, and writer. He taught the Indians basic farming and brought seed and animals to them.

And thus ends our first sight seeing day. More tomorrow.


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7 comments:

Joy Des Jardins said...

Lynne looks like a very sweet soul Darlene. I know you must have have a wonderful visit with her.

I just love the pics of the San Xavier del Bac Mission...and yes, I can see the difference in the white sides of the mission. It's really quite a beautiful place. I love the pic of the mountains and the gorgeous blue sky. Thanks for the history lesson sweetie....very interesting...Hope you had a really great visit, but glad to have you back blogging too....Hugs, Joy

Darlene said...

Joy, you are so nice that you inspire me to do better. Thank you for the welcome back to blog land.

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Darlene so happy to see you posting again. Love the pictures and I am so pleased you had a company for a while. It is so nice when those close to our hearts visit.

Looking to the Stars said...

Hi, I love the pics. What a neat place, thanks for all the info on it. I found it fascinating. Glad you had a good visit. Looking forward to hearing more about it.

20th Century Woman said...

It's great to have our kids visit, and it is also good to get back to the regular routine of living. What interesting old buildings. The 17th century is really a long time ago.

By the way, I also have trouble putting pictures on my blog. Yours look nice, and I can't seem to get mine spaced as I want them. Sometimes my daughter fixes them for me, but she is busy and can't always do it. I would like to put up more pics if I could learn how.

Lynne said...

Hi Mom,
If I had known you were going to use my picture I would have tried to look better. With your expertise with the camera, you could have made me look younger and thinner!! Had a great time.

Love,

Lynne

Gary White said...

Welcome back, Darlene, I've wondered where you were.