Yale University Library
39002005433934
kl3

SION

I

••J

examplified in
San Xavier
del Bac

I

i J
I KB) I

i i

I 9 i t (MIIISIieilfiMlir

Prent Duell

MISSION ARCHITECTURE
AS EXAMPLIFIED IN
SAN XAVIER DEL BAC

INCLUDING A COMPLETE LIST OF THE MISSIONS IN THE
SOUTHWEST; ALSO A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE MANU
SCRIPTS AND WORKS PERTAINING TO THE SUBJECT

BY
PRENT DUELL, A.M.

ILLUSTRATED

published by the
Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society
tucson, arizona
1919

Copyright, 1919
By Prent Duell
Xi-31. 10 4-
~TadLt4 cl\c\l>

PRESS OF
THE NEW ERA PRINTING COMPANY
LANCASTER, PA.

TO MY MOTHER

PREFACE.
Someone has said that the ignoring of an author's pref
ace is very much like appearing indifferent upon an in
troduction to the author himself; however that may be,
if you are so generously polite or, perhaps, so negUgent of
time as to be reading these few words, let me take this
opportunity of cautioning you beforehand that this is
one of the first works really to attempt the analysis and
study of mission architecture. The field is practically
unknown and there is no precedent to follow.
However, since the beauties and charm of mission archi
tecture have become more widely known, a great need has
been experienced among architects during the last few
years for accurate drawings and descriptions of the best
types of missions. Few architects of today can afford to
devote the time necessary to making such drawings and
studies, and I deem myself fortunate that peculiar condi
tions have allowed me a year of leisure, which I unhesi
tatingly devoted to such study.
I trust I have done well in selecting for study the greatest
and finest of the missions, San Xavier del Bac. It is a
Mission not generally known, and never before have any
plans been drawn from it. For that matter, scarcely any
of the missions have been studied to any great extent'
although something has, at times, been written about them,
especially the California " Chain" ; but even in this case more
with a view to general description, concerned with little or
no architectural or archaeological study.
As architecture and not history is the motif of the book,
I have reviewed no original manuscripts, but rather trusted

MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
to recognized Hteral translations. Much historical data,
directly relating to San Xavier, has been derived from
the partial translation of Kino's "lost" manuscript, which
was lately rediscovered by Dr. Herbert E. Bolton of the
University of California. Besides, I enjoyed the rare
privilege of going over the two original registers of San
Xavier, used by each padre in turn, covering a period of
almost two hundred years.
To the Right Reverend Henry Granjon, Bishop of Tuc
son, I am deeply indebted both for his permission to study
and work in the mission, and for his kind assistance in
studying its history. To Dr. George Wharton James, who
has been a great inspiration, I wish to express thanks for
his help with the work in general; also to Mr. Henry 0.
Jaastad, the architect, who has rendered me valuable
service in many ways. It has been my good fortune
to do much of this work in a university atmosphere and I
hasten to acknowledge my indebtedness to Professor
Byron Cummings, Professor L. A. Waterbury, Dr. Frank
C. Lockwood, Dr. R. H. Forbes and Dr. A. E. Douglass,
all of the University of Arizona. Their kind interest and
help did much towards the accomplishment of this work.
Prent Duell.
Tucson, Arizona,
August 1, 1917.

CONTENTS. Page
I. Preamble  1
II. Development of Mission Architecture  8
III. Characteristics of Mission Architecture  27
IV. San Xavier Del Bac  47
1. History  56
2. Description  74
3. Architecture .  101
4. Construction  108
V. Complete List of Missions in the Southwest . . 125
VI. Bibliography  132

vii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
San Xavier del Bac as it stands today  facing 1
San Luis Rey Mission   3
San Jose de Aguayo  5
San Jose de Tumacacori  .... 7
Monterey Mission.  17
Dolores or San Francisco de Assisi Mission . .... 19
Guevavi in 1880   20
San Carlos Mission .  21
Fagade of San Jose de Tumacacori Mission in 1880 . . 22
Santa Barbara Mission .  24
San Xavier del Bac about 1868 .   25
San Xavier del Bac    28
Staircase, San Gabriel Mission .  30
San Buenaventura Mission .  31
San Gabriel Mission .  .33
Bell Tower of Pala Chapel  36
Chapel Door, Santa Barbara Mission .  39
Entrance, San Gabriel Mission ... .40
Corridor of Santa Barbara Mission . .42
Doorway with Three Skulls, Santa Barbara Mission  43
Mortuary Chapel, San Jose de Tumacacori .  44
Staircase of San Luis Rey Mission . .46
San Xavier del Bac before Restoration  48
San Xavier Mission, General View  55
Pedro Boja, the Name of the Builder on Sacristal Door . . 68
San Jose del Tucson in 1885 .  71
San Xavier del Bac about 1897  75
Detail of Main Entrance, San Xavier del Bac . 77
Statuette on Ornamental Gable, St. Cecelia  79
The Nave, San Xavier del Bac   81

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Apse and Gospel Chapel, San Xavier del Bac . ... 84
Main Altar and Pulpit, San Xavier del Bac  87
Confessional Chair and Musical Wheel, San Xavier del Bac 88
Apse and Epistle Chapel, San Xavier del Bac  90
Belfry and Parapet Wall, San Xavier del Bac  95
View of Nave from Chair Loft, San Xavier del Bac  99
Front Elevation, San Xavier del Bac  100
Detail of Main Altar, San Xavier del Bac  104
Ornamental Gable about Main Entrance, San Xavier del Bac 107
Floor Plan with Dimensions, San Xavier del Bac . .... 109
West Elevation of Church, San Xavier del Bac  110
Dome and Drum, San Xavier del Bac  114
San Jose de Tumacacori, looking towards Entrance  115
Construction of Arches, San Jose de Tumacacori . . . 117
An Indian Home in the Desert .  121
Detail Drawings  122, 123, 124

The old pictures of San Xavier are from the Albert
Buehman Collection.

San Xavier del Bac as it stands to-day.

PREAMBLE.
In our assiduous study of the history of the Thirteen
Colonies, the generals of the Revolution and the soldiers of
Valley Forge, — all legitimate and necessary, — we are apt
to ignore the conditions on the other side of the continent.
To be sure, the incidents of our history at that time are
not directly connected; but it would be well if the student
knew the contemporary events of history in connection
with his own country, especially at a time of such signifi
cance that it determined the history of years to come.
We may consider the noble soldiers of Valley Forge and the
intrepid padres of the Southwest, each oblivious of the
other, in their separate way moulding what was destined
to be joined into one great united nation. It would be well
if the young student of American history, engrossed with
the barefoot and shivering soldiers of Valley Forge, might
also have his attention directed to the pious padres tramp
ing across the scorching desert with blistered feet and with
out the sight of running water for days at a time.
In many cases, the priests chosen for such work were
carefully selected from among the best the colleges afforded;
and Father Kino, of whom further mention will be made,
was on the faculty of Ingolstadt College ahd world-renowned
as a scholar before he entered the Jesuit Order and gave
his life to the mission cause.
"If God our Lord is pleased that you find any large
town where it seems to you that there is a good opportunity
for estabhshing a convent, and of sending religious men
to be employed in the conversion, you are to advise me by
Indians, or to return in person to Culiancan. With all
l

2 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
secrecy you are to give notice, that preparations be made
without delay, because the service of our Lord and the good
of the people of the land is the aim of the pacification of
whatever is discovered." Such was the simple farewell
to the meek son of Francis of Loyola from his Vicar-General.
Then he departed into the great desert, with the Cross and
Rosary, bent on the destruction of idols and the conquest
of souls. But seldom was he seen again. The missions
mark his path and labors among the Indians, and even
today, in the quiet of the ruins, his very presence is felt,
breathing a blessing.
The borders of "New Spain" or "El Nuevo Reino del
San Francisco," as Father Marcos de Niza called it, were
in no way fixed, but the general field of activities comprised,
besides Mexico and Lower California, much of what is
now California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In
this work we are particularly interested in the territory
then known as Pimeria Alta, which comprised the northern
part of Sonora and the southern part of Arizona, or, to be
more exact, the land between the Altar and Gila rivers.
The three Orders of the Church that labored in the terri
tory of New Spain were the Jesuits, the Franciscans, and the
Dominicans. The first found their chief work in Southern
California, Old and New Mexico, and Arizona; the second
in Sonora, Texas, California (Alta) and Arizona, and the
third in Old Mexico and Lower California.
Considering the present boundaries of the United States,
New Mexico was the first scene of mission activity, the
first mission being built as early, perhaps, as 1630. These
missions were modest adobe structures and flourished
until 1680, when they were all completely destroyed by the
Indians, and most of the white inhabitants massacred.

San Ltjis Ret Mission, California.

4 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
This was the greatest uprising suffered by the padres and
was due entirely to the arrogance and intolerance of the
Spanish settlers. The missions of Texas and Arizona were
not begun for twenty years or more later, while those of
California were not begun until the advent of the Francis
cans in 1768. The missions of Old Mexico will not be
considered, though, at first they were missions in every
sense of the word. They, however, were nearer civiliza
tion and gradually lost their position as outposts, being
replaced in many cases by community churches.
In order to begin properly the study of architecture, one
must carefully consider all of the missions and then select
the most representative; must take this particular mission
as the criterion and judge the others by it. Of the Cali
fornia chain, San Luis Rey unquestionably holds first
place from the standpoint of architecture. In Arizona,
San Xavier del Bac and San Jose de Tumacacori are both
excellent examples, but San Xavier easily holds first place*
San Jose de Aguayo of Texas was the greatest mission
east of the Rio Grande, but is now completely in ruins;
besides, it may almost be considered as Spanish Colonial
on account of its proximity to Mexico. But though it
were not eliminated, still it would not rank as high as
San Xavier or even San Luis Rey. These two latter mis
sions stand as the best examples of the pure mission style.
San Luis Rey had never the individual importance of
San Xavier nor did it ever attain so high a state of archi
tectural perfection. It remained always merely a fink in
the California chain, while San Xavier, on the other hand,
stood quite alone and held a most important post. The
Arizona chain was more a figure of speech; in fact, the only
missions which survived and constituted the chain were

6 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
Guevavi, San Jose de Tumacacori, and San Xavier. The
great significance of San Xavier was recognized and it
was designed and built accordingly. Furthermore, it
partook of the style of Mexico at a period when that native
Aztec influence best lent itself to the style which finally
developed into what is known as Mission Architecture.
It was during the decline of Spanish and Mexican archi
tecture that the missions of Southern Cahfornia were given
their final form. They had been built and rebuilt with
no great assurance of safety, as nothing elaborate was
attempted until a firm foothold was secured. All the varied
styles found among the missions may be traced directly
to Mexico. The Moslems had brought many styles to
gether under their domain, and Spain was in the most
propitious position to enjoy the best they offered. Later
the trans-atlantic colony borrowed directly the best archi
tectural qualities in evidence in the mother country. The
mission fields of the Southwest were then a part of Mexico,
but the padres were too distant from the base of supplies
to receive much more than moral support. They did
their best to imitate the styles in vogue; but such a thing
was quite impossible — hence Mission architecture.

San Jose de Tumacacori, two miles south of Tubac, Ariz.

DEVELOPMENT OF MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
There is nothing that we may call really new in archi
tecture. One may search the history of architecture or
study the great buildings of the world, and he will find the
subject marked by a consistent and sober development,
everything intrinsically related. All forms go back to
the lintel and post or the arch and dome, each perfect in
itself, for Nature gave them to primitive man.
Architecture is essentially a fine art, but one not creative
in the strictest sense of the word. The peculiar virtues of
a style may be handled in many ways according to the
temperaments of the various architects, but the funda
mentals, ever-existing and unalterable, must remain much
the same. The Sainte Chapelle is Gothic and so is Mont
Saint Michael; yet they are totally unlike in treatment.
To take a more modern example, the work of McKim,
Meade and White has often been criticised as being nothing
more than a transplanting of Greek and Italian Renais
sance monuments to New York City. This, however, is
a rather naive criticism not likely to come from a competent
and esoteric critic. Their motifs of inspiration may be
found in those trans-atlantic fields, but the architects
themselves are quite inculpable, as their treatment is
original. The time worn adage that the Greeks were great because
they copied no one, appears ridiculous in the light of a
Uttle erudition. Theirs was truly the noblest of archi
tecture, yet they undoubtedly borrowed many of their
ideas from the Egyptians and other early peoples.
8

DEVELOPMENT. 9
In the study of the architecture of every land, we must
logically go elsewhere to find its beginnings. No great
architecture can spring into full blossom on its embryal
spot; to develop perfection it must judiciously borrow and
unconsciously make its influence felt. Architecture is the
one exception among the fine arts in that it wholly perpe
tuates and does not, in the full meaning of the term, inno
vate; in other words, it can never be altogether original.
To study mission architecture, one must necessarily go
to Mexico, the center from which the padres radiated.
It is here that the prototypes of the missions are found.
Yet Mexico was newly settled by the Spaniards, who
brought their architecture with them; so we must not tarry
in Mexico but cross directly to Spain. Here we find pecu
liar conditions. The Ibernians at an early date found
themselves under Roman rule; then they were subjugated
in turn both by the Visigoths and the Moslems. It can
hardly be otherwise than that their architecture is by no
means unified. The Teutonic influence from the north
later stimulated the Gothic feeling; the Moors, being con
fined by the Christians to the south, developed their Moro-
Hispanic style; while the central plateau about the capital
Madrid, in close association with the courts of Europe,
caught the spirit of the Renaissance.
The Moor nevertheless made himself extensively felt;
but because of his natural incapacity for expressing him
self artistically, he usually had those in subjugation carry
out his ideas. We therefore have in every land under
Mohammedan domination a style of architecture, each
different from the others, but all related under the Eastern
spirit, and all, save Persia, based on Christian styles.
We, therefore, must trace the architecture of the mission

10 MISSION ARCHITECTURE
as well as its rehgious history back to the very beginning
of the Christian era, for we find the basilican, the Roman
esque, and the Byzantine types all directing their influence
in the building up of a style which later came under Moor
ish rule.
As the Roman temple could hardly be adapted to the
Christian ritual, so Western Christendom adopted the simple
rectangular basilica for its church and the rotunda for its
mortuary chapel and baptistry, though both might be
included in the body of the church. Across the front was
placed the narthex, the space reserved for those who, as
it were, had not a sufficient degree of purity to enter with
the others. Before the church itself was the atrium, often
surrounded by a wall.
The basilica, the first expression of Christian architec
ture, is often thought as typical of the early stages of the
Romanesque style, which marks the transition from the
Roman to the Gothic, or the connecting link between the
pagan temple and the Christian cathedral. The Greek
characteristics had been the architectural order and the
lintel; the Roman was a compromise of the two, employing
besides a daring use of the arch and dome, while the Roman
esque developed wholly into an arcuated and vaulted style.
In the meantime, Byzantine Christendom about Con
stantinople was developing the basilica into a distinct
style under Eastern architects. As the Romanesque was
a transition from the Roman to the Gothic, so was Byzan
tine a transition from the Roman to the Saracenic. Though
it never fully developed, even after a most brilliant begin
ning, it was a great factor in determining the styles to come.
It was the first to set stress against stress and was undoubt
edly the prototype of the flying buttress; but its greatest
stride was the setting of the dome on pendentives.

DEVELOPMENT. 11
The plan was usually cruciform, with a large dome over
the crossing of the nave and transepts. The dome was
the nucleus of the whole design, with the ceiling a series
of vaults either barrel or groined. The apse (sometimes
three, corresponding to an aisle on either side of the nave)
faced the east, and a screen separated it from the nave.
Before the screen and to the left was the pulpit. A nar
thex extended across the front part of the nave with a
gallery above, and usually in front of the church was an
atrium. In the Eastern basilica, moreover, timber was neglected
and the vaults laid up entirely of brick. The Byzantines
retained much from the Romans in the way of construc
tion, save the use of brick rather than concrete. They also
took over the Roman interior decoration of mosaics, marble
veneering, and slight wall incrustation; and under the
Eastern hand it developed to a high state of perfection.
The walls were covered with mosaics of great beauty on a
ground of gold, in keeping with a somewhat gaudy Oriental
splendor. In the case of the smaller churches, frescoes
took the place of the gorgeous mosaics. Carvings were
done in low rehef and mouldings had little part in the dec
oration. The motifs were for the most part symbolical,
and ornamentation for its own sake was scarcely employed.
The Byzantine style was developing with great promise,
and first traces of the Gothic style being felt in France
(or perhaps England), when the Mohammedan began his
phenomenal conquests. He united much territory under
his sway, and, as we have seen, had each subject people
carry out his innate aesthetic ideas which he could not
express for himself. A point of great interest here is that
he learned from the Persians the rare art of covering his

12 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
domes with brilliant glazed tiles of many colors, an art
which he carried with him into other lands. Much of his
work being done by Byzantine workmen, it is evident that
soon Byzantine influence, too, would be felt in Spain.
Here the Moors found a people equal to any architectural
task they might assign them. But the Mohammedan
faith, in so far as it discouraged riches and worldly posses
sions, had little effect in Spain. Riches and extravagance
marked a period of great architectural splendor, which
culminated only in the fall of Granada, the incomparable.
Certain characteristics are common to all styles of Moor
ish architecture, each being preeminently Asiatic in spirit
and largely a matter of superficial decoration, bewildering
and often incoherent. Unlike the Byzantine style, the
constructive sense is of little moment. Brilliant colors,
broken up into small units and spread over large areas of
surface, gave an altogether splendid effect. Conventional
forms of decoration, evolved by a temperament mathe
matically and philosophically inclined, were developed into
a system of geometrical decoration, unique and ingenious.
There is yard after yard of intricate repetition, where
monotony is relieved only by the natural inequahty of
the material, wliich, in fact, is the saving grace in all such
ceramic work; whereas it is the absence of this inequality
which makes stamped and stenciled work intolerable.
Pictorial art and sculpture have no place in Moorish
architecture, and the Moor had an innate aversion to all
forms of art associated with idolatry. To him, rehgious
decoration and images were symbolical of the hated Chris
tian church. His great mosques in Spain are filled with
decorations highly elaborate, yet wholly abstract, a mere
surface decoration. Arches are carried to a great height,

DEVELOPMENT. 13
and one notes a general absence of domical and vaulted
construction, as wood was employed rather than brick.
Courtyards of great charm, with fountains and covered
galleries, are distinctive and interesting features. Little
attention was given to the exterior, which usually appears
an ungainly pile of masonry with little or no pretense at
design. Soon, however, European influence began to be felt, and
the Gothic sense of construction merged with the Moorish
in what is known as the Mudejar style. From the four
teenth century on, we have a more consistent and balanced
structure. Later examples show the coming Renaissance,
which Spain endeavored to perfect to its own taste. Mass
rather than detail was emphasized; the decoration was
generally confined to the entrance and, to some extent,
to the windows, while the walls were left strikingly blank.
Towards the middle of the Renaissance it took the form
of the Plateresque, or the style of the silversmiths. The
term is well apphed. The decoration does resemble very
much the designs of a silversmith in its feeling of chiselled
elaboration. For the most part it is overdone, but a few
of the best examples are very effective. Spain had become
overrich and its architecture was rapidly degenerating
into styles never before equaled in unprincipled and mean
ingless decoration, much in keeping with a court hfe full
of sham and of mere strife after appearance. This later
style, known as the Churrigueresque, has no intrinsic value
and httle interest. Unfortunately, it bears the name of an
architect not wholly responsible, but upon whose head
nevertheless rest the monstrosities perpetrated in this
period. The Mudejar and Plateresque were the styles carried

14 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
into Mexico by the Spaniards under Cortez, though the
Churrigueresque made its influence felt later. In Mexico,
the conquerors, though imbued with the architecture of
their native land, found themselves building upon the styles
of a vanquished people and furthermore, styles peculiarly
in keeping with the Moro-Hispanic feeling. The archi
tecture of the subjugated Aztec was the barbaric expres
sion of a semi-civilized race. It was highly colored and
ornate with a heavy and grotesque decoration, though
not without some naive charm.
At first, the work of the conquerors took more the form
of fortifications, as the Aztecs did not humbly submit.
When a firmer hold had been attained, the Spaniards turned
to the styles in vogue in their native land, regrettably then
pervaded by a riot of classicism. Much of the early work
in Mexico still remains as examples of classic abortion.
By the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, classic features
began to take some proportion and there is evidence of a
native tendency to color and ornamentation not displeas
ing. It is in this period that we find the best examples
of Spanish-colonial architecture.
The decorative art of the Aztec had to make its influence
felt sooner or later. The Moor had expressed himself
in much the same manner, and the Spaniard was not slow
in developing it. Besides, the Plateresque proved too
delicate for the native workmen; so the depraved Chur
rigueresque was willingly accepted, which, along with the
crowded Aztec carvings, gave the architecture of Mexico
an impulse that sent her headlong to utter absurdity and
ruin. The gabled entrance became a mass of vulgar decora
tion and an abundance of bizarre color. Classic features

DEVELOPMENT. 15
were again dwarfed into obscure ornament, straight lines
were broken, and immense spirals in low relief subtended
across the fachada. They multiplied and broke their
colored ornament for the pure joy it gave them to see its
sparkle in the sunlight on their white walls. Domes were
in abundance, covered with designs in polychrome tile.
The basis of Mexican church design is the cruciform
plan, with a dome rising on a low drum over the crossing
and usually surmounted by a small lantern. Barrel vault
ing and segmental domes are employed, the whole struc
ture often being constructed entirely of brick. Here one
immediately recognizes a combination of the Byzantine
and Moorish styles, merged into one unified design. The
belfry takes a prominent place, as Mexico was then a
clockless country. Its simplest form is the "wall belfry,"
formed by carrying up the wall to a height above the roof
and piercing it with arched openings to contain the bells.
Of course, in the case of cathedrals, large towers were
affixed, built up to a great height by the superposition of
several stories, the higher ones containing the bells. The
rainfall is drained off by valleys which terminate in plain
gargoyles, or more often in the ever-present canalles.
The interiors are highly ornate, savoring of the Moorish
in general form and Byzantine in decoration. The anti
pathy of the Moors for the symbolic decorations of the
Christians, led them to devote much of their energy to
the development of such architectural forms as fantastic
arches and domes, as well as geometric decoration. Many
fine mosaics and frescoes beautify the walls of the cathe
drals, while the individual paintings have always been a
source of dehght and perplexity to connoiseurs. During
the years of dissension, the history in connection with the

16 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
various pictures has been lost, and time has stolen away
the names of the artists. That many are the work of
European masters cannot be denied, as many objects
of art are known to have been brought from Spain to the
New World to fill the churches. The search for Murrillos
in Mexico is a fascinating story, and the surprising number
brought forth is most amusing;
Mission architecture is based entirely upon the Spanish-
Colonial style of Mexico, with a rich heritage of the best
architectures of Europe, which culminated under the hand
of the Moor; an architecture at once containing all these
styles, yet itself an individual style. Its very hmitations
mark it a distinct type; Had the padres been able to build
as they wished, we should have had Spanish-Colonial
architecture; they fell short in their intentions, and the
Mission style was the result. In other words, they for
tunately did not carry with them artisans skilled in making
grotesque assemblages of ornament, but rather, through
their own efforts, they unconsciously created a style of
their own.
The padres, however, were skilled in church design;
each of the larger missions shows a singular unity, true to
some particular style; Many of the smaller Cahfornia
missions, not to be treated on any elaborate scale, were
simply modelled after the basilica, with a long rectangular
room and wooden ceiling. So, with the more important
missions, the Byzantine motifs were very applicable espe
cially in monolith construction and interior decoration, a
feature to which the un-Christian Moorish decoration
would not be suited. The large dome on pendentives, as
we have seen, is of Byzantine influence, as are also the
various forms of vaulting. Both the dome and fachada

«HS5O

18 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
were painted in imitation of the polychrome title work
of the Moor. Much of the interior was painted to resemble
marble, tile, and even mosaics.
San Xavier is for the most part of Byzantine influence,
especially as to its cruciform plan, construction, and most
of its interior decoration, i Its stilted arches, domes, and
fantastic windows are, however, Moorish. In fact, the
lower half of the interior with its many statuettes, fres
coes, and glitter of gilt is Byzantine, while the upper part,
with its arches, windows and domes impresses one as Moor
ish. The distinctive towers and belfries were developed
in Mexico, and most of the accented yet restrained deco
ration has the touch of the Aztec.
It would be quite impossible to formulate a chrono
logical table of the mission style. The missions were
built intermittently over a period of two hundred years
and at great distances from one another. In some in
stances, a mission would partake of a certain style in vogue
in Mexico and, perhaps, its building would be prolonged
for many years; while, in the meantime, another mission,
influenced by a later style, might be completed. Take
the case of San Xavier: it was one of the earliest of all
missions and founded over sixty years before the first
Cahfornia mission; yet, anomalous though it may seem,
its final form shows a style later than that of any other
mission. This may in some way be accounted for by its proximity
to Mexico and its being finished later than many of the
missions. San Luis Rey, however, the last of the great
missions of the Cahfornia chain, has much in common
with San Xavier, but, even though built at a later date,
is characterized by an earlier style. In these two examples

Dolores or San Francisco de Assisi Mission, California.

20

MISSION ARCHITECTURE.

mission architecture showed great promise; but all was
suddenly stopped by secularization; and mission architec
ture, then at its height, was forever at an end.
In a general way, the mission style may be divided into
three periods. The first, of course, comprises those small
adobe buildings of New Mexico, Texas and Arizona which
first served the needs of the padres. Guevavi, the first
of the Arizona missions, is a good example; its ruins may
still be seen near the present town of Nogales.

Guevavi in 1880. (Only photo in existence.)
When the missions became more firmly fixed and some
safety assured, the padres undertook more serious struc
tures. They turned to Mexico for guidance, which at
that time was dominated by a theatrical classic spirit,
and consequently, the second period is usually marked
by a heavy and misshapen classic fachada. It must be
noted that the ornamental gable about the entrance reveals

San Carlos Mission, Carmel, Cal.

Facade of San Jose de Tumacacori Mission in 1880.

DEVELOPMENT. 23
either one or the other of the last two periods, the general
form of the Church not being included. Most of the Cah
fornia missions come under the second period, especiaUy
San Carlos (Monterey), San Francisco de Assisi (Dolores)
and, to some extent, Santa Barbara.
The third period is characterized by the Plateresque and
Churrigueresque, but of a modified and more simple form.
The two styles came under the influence of the native
Aztec architecture, and evidently, when apphed to the
missions, produced a very successful and interesting style.
To this period belongs San Xavier, San Luis Bey, and San
Carlos (Carmel). San Jose de Aguayo of Texas could also
be placed in this group, but its date is much earlier. As
has been mentioned before, it really cannot be called a
mission; for, like many cathedrals of Mexico, it was in
fluenced directly from Spain before the classic wave was felt.
A few missions partake of both the second and third
periods. San Luis Rey comes in this class and San Jose
de Tumacacori tends very much towards pseudo-classi
cism. This^latter^case may be accounted for in that it
was built shortly after San Xavier and, being not many
miles distant, could hardly employ a similar style. The
padres, then, referred to the style rapidly passing out and
recreated one of the best designed fachadas in all mission
architecture. That San Jose de Tumacacori ranked higher
than San Xavier as a piece of architecture is a mistake made
by many architects. Today it stands an impressive ruin
and one is apt to let the imagination warp his better judg
ment. San Xavier is entirely free from classic influence,
borrowing simply from the late ornamental style of Mexico.
It marks the beginning of a well balanced and consistent
design, and stands the best example of mission architecture.

Santa Barbara Mission.

San Xavier del Bac about 1868, just as the Franciscans left it.

26 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
Some of the most thoughtful buildings of the United
States have been inspired by the mission style. At the
present time it may be said to approach something of a
craze. The "Ponce de Leon Hotel" and the "Alcazar"
hotel, both of Florida, are modern examples but partake
more of the Spanish-Colonial. "Mission Inn," Cali
fornia, is distinctly mission, as are many other serious
structures throughout the West. School-houses, espe
cially, are effective when designed along such fines — low
tile roofs and great blank walls, with some detailed orna
mental feature about the doors and windows — while the
patio and open windows give an abundance of fresh air and
light. Besides, the construction is comparatively inex
pensive. The Panama-Pacific International Exposition at San
Francisco was of Moorish and Spanish styles, notably
in the ornamentation of the outside walls of the buildings,
done by Messrs. Bliss and Faville of San Francisco. The
low domes and the colored ensemble by Jules Guerin gave
it a distinctly Oriental appearance against the blue of the
Pacific and California's cloudless sky. A similar and not
able work based wholly on mission and Spanish-Colonial
styles was the Panama Cahfornia International Exposi
tion at San Diego, conceived by Mr. Bertram Goodhue.
It marks an epoch in the architecture of today, and no
greater modern work could be cited in this connection.
The modest missions of the padres have made their
greatness felt in no small way in this country; txixopuc of
the land of sunshine and the painted desert, beautiful and
true in simplicity, they represent the only architecture
indigenous with us.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MISSION
ARCHITECTURE.
At the dawn of civilization, man laboriously set up
huge columns to carry a crude roof that meant his pro
tection from the elements; so do we find to a great extent
the beginnings of mission architecture, — built primarily
for pure utilitarian needs and developed along fines hmited
by rigid conditions. To be sure, the style is based upon
the styles of Spain and Mexico; but in the process of adap
tation, they were so changed that it may be called some
thing of a new style.
Mission architecture was developed in a new country
under hitherto unknown conditions and from materials
never before in the hand of white man. The clay beneath
his feet was a peculiar kind; water was scarce, and in many
cases wood of any reasonable dimensions was difficult to
secure. Any other materials he may have desired had to
be brought laboriously over the sands from Mexico. The
sun was intense and httle consideration need be given to
cold and rain. The Indian was a new factor to deal with.
His rehgion was to be taken from him and his idols broken.
If he objected strenuously enough, the mission would have
to serve also as a place of protection against his hostile
attacks. It is evident that limitations were on all sides and many
conditions had to be met, no matter what other ideas of
architecture and building the artistic padres may have
held. Of the thirty or more missions in the Southwest, scarcely
t ¦' 27

San Xavier del Bac.

CHARACTERISTICS. 29
any are differentiated even in the minds of those who are
apparently interested in architecture or archaeology. The
missions seem to be considered as a whole and are thought
to be very much alike. To be sure they were built to a
great extent under the same conditions, by the same type
of builder and for the same purpose; but what two archi
tects of today, even though they be of the same school,
design with the same feehng? Why, therefore, should
missions be similar to any marked degree simply because
they necessarily have such characteristics in common as
low, shaded cloisters and massive walls? Even the mis
sions of the California chain, though built for the most
part by the same order of padres, are each and every one a
separate jewel, with San Luis Rey the most perfect.
Evidently, then, the missions of California, Arizona, and
Texas may be expected to be quite unlike; and such is the
case. Each chain was built by independent groups of
padres, and hence each group collectively reveals different
treatment from its neighbor.
In general, the mission occupies a position elevated above
the surrounding country. The buildings and garden are
enclosed by a wall. The missions themselves are usually
conventional in arrangement. The nave is practically
always rectangular, San Xavier being a notable exception
in that its plan is cruciform. When a tower is employed,
its first floor serves as a baptistry, otherwise, the baptistry
opens from the nave at some other point, as is the case
with San Gabriel of California, where the baptistry is
entered about midway down the nave. At one end, of
course, is the main altar with the sacristry opening imme
diately behind or to the side. The choir-loft is at the oppo
site end, often over the main entrance and sometimes

Staircase, San Gabriel Mission, California.

San Buenaventura Mission, California.

32 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
reached by a stairway on the outside of the church. When
a tower is a front feature, (the altar naturally being at the
other end of the building), the stairs wind about in the
walls of the tower to the choir-loft over the nave.
The walls are from three to six feet in thickness and were
seldom carried more than one story or story-and-a-half
in height. When rock or stone was to be had, the wall
was carried up about one third of the way with such material
and then finished with either adobe or burned brick. The
more capacious missions had httle use for adobe, as it
never attained any degree of hardness. A form of cement
stucco covers the outside of the wall and the interior is
plastered with a lime plaster, both known today for their
excellent quality, and said to have been made by a process
of which the secret has been lost.
Low and massive buttresses are placed against the walls
to insure their stabihty. Especially is this true in the
case of the Cahfornia missions where earthquakes are so
prevalent; in fact, it is from this cause that most of them
have suffered destruction. A great buttress is actually
used on the fachada of San Buenaventura to balance the
massive tower opposite. In San Xavier, there are flying
buttresses, strengthening the belfry and cupola of the towers,
which rise to a considerable height. In most every case,
one is aware of the great skill employed in placing the
buttresses; especially when they are used in some missions
to react against the stresses caused by the high brick arches,
sprung over the nave from pilasters on either side.
In the event of arches, the roof is constructed wholly of
brick, as are oftentimes the floors also. The roof between
the arches is formed into low elliptical domes, with some
decorative design. Groin vaulting is predominant over

San Gabriel Mission, California.

34 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
the smaller rooms, while low segmental domes, when pos
sible, cover undivided rooms of importance, such as the
baptistry and sacristy.
In proportion to the number of missions, domes are
comparatively scarce in the Cahfornia chain; but the large
hemispherical dome over the intersection of the Cross
in the building, the well proportioned arches in each wall
of the octagon tower and the flying buttresses put the
Arizona Missions in a class by themselves, as the combin
ation of these most beautiful features are not found in
the Missions of other states. The domes were built of
brick, hence necessarily in connection with a brick roof,
which was built more or less level. The padres, in their
excellent judgment, reahzed the appropriateness of such
a roof to arid conditions and its unsuitability to Cahfornia
where they experience a season of rainfall each year.
The roof over the minor projecting wings or over the
more modest missions often consists of large red tiles laid
on rushes, which, in turn, are fastened to wooden trusses
with thongs of hide. Most of the roofs, however, as in
San Gabriel, have long since fallen in and been replaced
by others. An interesting form of ceiling construction is
still to be found in San Fernando Rey, Dolores and San
Ynez, where horizontal beams are supported by flat cor
bels projecting from the wall. San Xavier alone retains a
roof and ceiling wholly of brick.
The domes of any importance standing today are placed
on a high drum, rising on arches and pendentives. The
drum is pierced with small fantastic Moorish windows;
and in remembrance of the glazed tile of Spain, the padres,
no doubt, painted the domes to the best of their abihty.
The story is told that the dome of San Jose de Aguayo in

CHARACTERISTICS. 35
Texas was so beautiful that the Indians called it "Day
Star of their Manitou." A small lantern often surmounts
the dome, bearing a cross. In order to reach the cross in
times of danger or in case of mishap, small projections of
brick are found up the side of the dome in the fashion of
steps. The towers are capped with small domes or in some cases
by a pyramidal roof as with San Carlos, (Monterey);
again, San Carlos, (Carmel), has a small dome resembling
a bee hive. Both the latter missions, only a few miles
apart, are rather diminutive, but are nevertheless exquisite
bits of mission architecture.
The bells played an inportant role in mission fife. They
called the Indian to prayer and called them from the fields;
their tinkling regulated the day as would a clock. Conse
quently, they are placed high, either in arched openings
cut in the wall or in towers. In the case of San Gabriel,
the only form of exterior decoration is the wall-belfry.
Pala chapel has an interesting belfry in the form of a small
decorative wall built away from the church. The bells
in the towers were rung by means of long ropes which hung
to the ground. Flights of stairs led to the belfry, but the
padres, realizing how many times a day the bells had to
be rung, thus found means for the saving of labor. In
Tumacacori the bells are placed high over one's head and
a rope would necessarily have to be used. One of the best
evidences that the bells were rung from below arises from
the appearance of grooves in the side of the piers and edge
of the floor made by the ropes.
A few of the missions possessed very fine bells sent from
Mexico or sometimes from Spain, though for the most
part they were rather crudely cast and produced a high-
4

Bell Tower of Pala Chapel, California.

CHARACTERISTICS. 37
pitched metalhc sound. The story of the mission bells is
indeed fascinating and well worth studying by someone
overburdened with time. It is said that all the clappers
of the bells of Arizona were made from a large meteorite
which fell in the Santa Rita mountains. Two clappers
unearthed at Tumacacori may be seen in the museum of
the University of Arizona. San Juan Bautista is a rare
exception in this connection and famous principally for
its bells. Tradition relates that they were made by an
old bell-maker of Peru who never divulged the secret of
their composition. They were nine in number and formed
a rare and beautiful chime; but the bells gradually disap
peared and much speculation has been given as to their
whereabouts. For that matter, nearly all of the missions
are minus their bells, perhaps, due to tourists musically
inclined. One bell of the lost chime was recently discov
ered by the author, hanging in the belfry of San Xavier del
Bac. For years it had hung, unrecognized, but noted for
its sweet tone.
A striking thing about the general ensemble of the mis
sions is the large expanse of blank wall surface with a
restrained area of decoration about the entrance, which
usually takes the form of a fantastic gable. No two gables
are ahke, though the severe classic elements predominate
in the Cahfornia chain, due to their being finished at an
earlier date than those of Arizona and Texas. It seems
inexcusably inconsistent that the Cahfornia missions as a
whole must resort to debased pseudo-classicism on the
fachada, even the great San Luis Rey not being an excep
tion. The missions of Arizona and Texas, on the other hand,
employed the very ornate style then predominant in Mexico,

38 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
but fortunately, through necessity in a more restrained
manner. The gable is overrun with arabesques in low
rehef, and highly decorative columns support broken
arches, while curves of various radii give it a peculiar sky
line. Tumacacori being finished at a later date, partook of
the classic spirit, much to its detriment. Filials, consoles,
and other decorative features finish off the walls and add
ornament here and there; for instance, the lion's head and
filial are worked in the parapet wall about the roof of San
Xavier. Interior decoration varies with the missions; some are
highly ornate while others can scarcely boast a spot of
color. Few of the California missions are decorated in a
way to compare favorably with San Xavier, Tumacacori,
or even San Jose de Aguayo of the past. San Xavier stands
unequalled and wiU be treated elsewhere. San Jose de
Aguayo is, for the most part, a thing of tradition; and only
a few remains of a decoration of great delicacy may be
seen in Tumacacori. The colors employed are pale blues,
oranges, pinks and magentas, while orange and black are
often used together in a sort of Greek border. Dainty
flowers of a conventional pattern form decorative bands,
appearing very much like stencil-work. Such, however,
is not the case, for each is painted with infinite care.
The altars are large, intricately decorated, and covered
for the most part with gold leaf. Before the altar, a low
wooden fence takes the place of the handsome metal screens
of Spain and Mexico. The pulpit is usuaUy a thing of
great interest and is found in its place to the left of the
altar and down the nave a short distance. It is usually
very cleverly hand-carved, and fitted together without
nails. San Luis Rey prides itself on having a pulpit from
Constantinople, dating back to the Middle Ages.

¦ /V

Chapel Door, Santa Barbara Mission, California.

CHARACTERISTICS. 41
The domed ceilings are beautifully painted, or covered
with gold leaf, the latter, for the most part, having long
ago been picked off.
The entrances and windows are few in number and
small in dimension. The doors are low and heavy, and
divided into many small panels, due to the lack of facilities
for handhng large trees. The windows are usually rec
tangular and in some special cases of fanciful form. Wooden
grills are placed before the lower ones, and wooden bal
conies are usually found in connection with casement doors,
if there be a second floor or choir-loft above. These in
fluences, too, are traced directly from Mexico and Spain.
The doors and windows have iron bolts and hinges, of fair
workmanship. Sometimes iron pivots are used in place of
hinges, as may be seen in the old door at San Gabriel.
One of the most attractive and dominant notes of mis
sion architecture is in the long, low cloisters, usually in
the rear and enclosing a garden or patio. Sometimes the
roof rafters are supported by a simple architrave and heavy
columns, but more often by arches sprung from low square
piers. No two arches are of the same dimension; in fact,
everything about the garden breathes a charming incon
sistency. The floor is laid with large, irregular, dull red
bricks, and heavy Spanish lanterns hang from the rafters.
Low seats are built against the walls, the arms of which
often project from the walls themselves. Heavy chairs
and tables are placed about, simple in line and crudely
made. Often laterally sawed tree trunks serve as low stools.
The soft beauty of the garden cloisters is the supreme
dehght of every water-colorist.
A huge stone fountain occupies the center of the garden,
and small pools are placed about. Narrow walks lead

42

MISSION ARCHITECTURE.

among the flowers, and overhead are fruit-laden trees.
Santa Barbara has a sacred garden rarely seen by visitors
and to which no women are admitted. Mrs. McKinley,
the wife of the President, was given the great privilege of
entering the garden, as Santa Barbara had always been

Corridor of Santa Barbara Mission, California.
kindly remembered and assisted by her. At one time a
second woman entered, but by mistake, so her exit was
speedily effected.
San Xavier has no such garden, for, in its case, the water
would have been difficult to manage for such a purpose
and, again, the space was enclosed by a massive wall for
defense. Tumacacori, however, was more fortunate and
must have possessed a very beautiful garden. Evidences
of an irrigation system are visible and parts of the garden
wall are still standing. The padres were also very for-

Doorwat with Three Skulls, Santa Barbara Mission, California.

44 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
tunate in having a well in the garden. No vegetation of
any kind now remains and the ground about the ruined
church has been torn up by treasure seekers. The walls
of the church adjoining the garden are inlaid with small
bits of red and black rock, forming a rich conventional
design. Each mission has its tiny grave yard, either near or ad-.
joining the mission itself. At Santa Barbara the doorway
which leads to the graveyard from the mission is well
known. Three human skulls are embedded in the wall
over the door, signifying death or the brevity of life. Ad-

Mortuart Chapel, San Jose de Tumacacori, Ariz.
joining the cemeteries there is often a small chapel in which
the dead were placed, awaiting burial. San Xavier has a
small rectangular chapel, while Tumacacori possesses a
rotunda, of Byzantine influence, with its outside surface
inlaid with small pieces of red stone, in keeping with the
garden wall.

CHARACTERISTICS. 45
As a closing word it may be well to mention the under
ground passages. Most missions of early date possessed
secret passages as a means of escape in case they were be
sieged. It is difficult to locate any of them now, as they
are well concealed or fallen in. San Diego mission has an
underground passage of very ingenious arrangement, lead
ing, perhaps, from some room in the mission to the well
at the foot of the hill. Its entrance has never been sought
for and it has for the most part fallen in, as can be found
by exploring from the well. The passage led underground
to the well, opening into the side several yards below the
level of the grade. The padres could then go and fetch
water without being seen by a hostile band of Indians.
Across the well, the passage continued some distance
further and made an exit in a group of palm trees, planted
by the fathers. Hence, in the time of great danger, the
padres would enter the passage, leap across the well and
escape by the exit at a considerable distance from the mis
sion. The mission at an early date was destroyed and
several of the fathers escaped by this means. Tumaca
cori is said to have had a passage and the story goes that
there was an iron door leading to it in the garden.

Staircase of San Luis Rey Mission, California.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC:
THE GREATEST OF ALL MISSIONS.
1. History.
2. Description.
3. Architecture.
4. Construction.

San Xavier del Bac before Restoration.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC.
The old Mission Church among the Papago Indians in Santa Cruz
Valley, Arizona.
By Ildefonsus
Away towards the glowing South land,
'Neath a dome of azure hue,
Near where Santa Cruz rambles
Through the plains 'mid the mountains blue,
5 Majestic amid the hillocks
Where the cactus luxuriant grows,
Looming up 'gainst the distant mountain
Crowned with mid-summer snows!
Stands the old church of San Xavier,
10 Lifting its towers high,
And its cross gleams out to the distance
Where the Rockies touch the sky!
Gaze at its massive portal,
Bearing upon its arch
<( The date of a century vanished
In the ages ' onward march !
And mark above the entrance
To this ancient temple bless'd,
Preaching love and penance,
v The old Franciscan Crest,
Like a crown bereft of its brightness,
Above this crest so good,
Remains but the lone pedestal
Where once a statue stood.
li Glance at the shatter'd casements,
Looking so grand and grim,
That the sunlight almost shudders
49

50 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
Ere it ventures to enter in!
Pause at the noble gateway,
y> Study the stately towers,
That, looking down on the valley,
Have seen a century's flowers!
List to the old bells chiming
From their windy room above,
3i While back from the mountains is echoed
The music of faith and love.
Step within the gateway —
Pause in the atrium dim,
See in the shade of the tower
H-o The mortuary chapel grim,
Chapel'd beneath this tower
Is the tarnished font — once bright —
Whence flowed the saving waters
On many a neophite.
i/5 And on the wall, beside it,
Is pictured the Baptist grave,
Pouring on Christ the water
Caught from Jordan's wave!
Enter the ancient temple,
i"0 Stand in the sacred pile,
Trace in its every outline
The well-marked Moorish style.
A sigh will come unbidd'n,
Like a troubl'd ocean wave,
& And you'll drop a tear of sadness
As you pass through its only nave.
Measure the lofty arches —
Each a vision of old recalls —
Resting, as if by magic,
£<¦ On the pillars in the walls !
Turn to the right and ponder,
Pictured upon the wall

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 51

The chosen ones, all kneeling,
Where tongues of fire fall!
4f Then turn away from the vision
Of the bright descending Dove,
To read the frescoed story,
Of the ancient Supper of Love!
In the epistle chapel
70 With gentle folded hands
Beneath the cross, all tearful
The Mother of Sorrow stands.
And on another altar,
Where sculptured angels wait,
1% Shrined in a golden nimbus
Stands the Immaculate.
Look at the walls around you,
Whence our Queen of the Rosary stoops
To give the mystic chaplet
$0 To the kneeling angel groups.
There too, the work of the artist —
Dimmed by the breath of time —
Shows the scene of Nazareth
In the life of him Divine !
% Come to the gospel chapel
And look at the face so mild,
Of the gentle Foster Father
Guarding the Savior Child,
Kneel at its shrine of sorrow,
fo Where the story of love is told
By the cross, the nails, and the scourges,
And the dead Christ, pale and cold!
Here too, the well-traced picture,
Which time has not effaced,
ff Shows our Infant Lord in the temple,
In Simeon's fond embrace.
And again, the brush of the artist,

52 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
Moved by some trained hand,
Tells the story of Saragossa
In the trans-atlantic land!
And pictured upon a banner
Is our lady of Guadalupe-^
Flowers are clustering 'round her,
And wond'ring angels group!
And still in its dim old corner,
Seeming to smile at time,
Stand the tribunal of penance —
That mercy seat sublime!
Turn we to the altar— -
Like warriors clad in steel —
Guarding the chancel gateway
Crouch the Lions of Old Castile !
Above the sacred table,
Clasping the cross in his hands,
Clad in his sable habit,
The Sainted Xavier stands!
And yet above the Patron,
As watching over all,
Appears the Virgin Mother,
Guarded by Peter and Paul.
And 'mid the half-burned tapers,
And vases old and odd,
With the crucifix above it,
Is the home of the captive God!
And in the fading pictures
On the chancel-walls, to the right,
Behold the adoring Magi,
And the Holy Family's flight.
While near the gospel corner
With Mary, face to face,
Appears the great Archangel
Hailing her "Full of grace!"

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 53
And the cold wall tells the story
Of the morning scene of yore,
When shepherds came from the hillside,
The new born God t' adore.
Like sentinels ever watchful
On Zion's ancient towers
Stand on either side th' apostles
'Twixt vases of mouldering flow'rs
While out from their antique niches,
Look Franciscan Saints of old;
And bright-winged cherubs cluster
On the ceiling high and cold !
Climb we the stairs to the choir
And study the pictured walls,
Where chanted the tonsured Friars
In their dark and oaken stalls.
Dim'd by the veil that a century's
Dust has over them spread
Look out the four great authors
From the frescoes over head,
And Blessed Francis carried
In a fiery chariot of love
Seems to take flight from this drear land
To realms of joy above !
And Dominick, all enraptured,
With fixed and upturned face,
Receives the Blessed chaplet
From the beautiful Mother of Grace.
One more picture we notice,
Ere our task is done:
The quiet home at Nazareth,
Where dwelt the Holy One.
It looks but the carpenter's dwelhng,
With the walls unadorned and bare,
But, Oh! 'tis effulgent with glory;
For Jesus and Mary are there!

54 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
And Joseph, the Foster Father,
As lily undefiled,
Sits near the Virgin Mother,
Caressed by the Holy Child!
Carefully down the stairway
We slowly wend our way,
Filled with an awe and a sadness,
That moves the heart to pray.
Pray we that old San Xavier
May not for age be forgot;
And again the lamp of religion
May burn on the holy spot.
Soon may the Papagos gather
Beneath the sacred shade,
Where their fathers knelt 'round the Black-Robe
Listened, believed and prayed.
Soon may the Black-Robe's labor
The treasures of faith unfold,
And this mission bloom in the valley,
As once it bloomed of old.
May its fading pictures be bright'ned,
Its statues newly dressed
And the touch of the artist emblazoned
Its old Franciscan Crest.
May its arches again re-echo
The sound of the Vesper hymn,
And fervent souls to worship
Kneel in the shadow dim.
Brushed from each shrine and altar
The gathering dust and mold,
May the daily oblation be offered
Which the Prophet hath foretold,
May its broken cross be uplifted,
And its bells more sweetly chime,
And its glory remain untarnished
Until the eve of time.

San Xavier Mission. (General View.)

56 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.

History.

Since the discovery, or rather re-discovery, of Father
1 Kino's lost journal by Dr. Herbert E. Bolton of the Uni
versity of Cahfornia, one of the great epochs in Americana,
we can place quite accurately the trips of Father Kino
and the beginnings of the missions, hitherto a matter solely
of conjecture. Kino (Kiihne) himself tells that he visited
Bac for the first time in 1692. Bac is about nine miles
south of Tucson, and is the name of the Indian settlement
at which the mission is located — hence, San Xavier del Bac.
The word itself- is Papago and there has been much
discussion as to its meaning. Some hold it signifies "ruins "
or "ruined adobe house," inspired, no doubt, by the note
made by Father Segesser, an early priest at the mission
of San Xavier del Bac, that Father Kino utilized an an
cient ruin on the spot, as the first mission of San Xavier.
It must be admitted that it is indeed poetic and beautiful
to think of the ruins of an unknown people, blossoming
forth under the Holy Cross as the Mission of San Xavier
del Bac. However that may be, exhaustive research has
proved the word Bac to mean "place where there is water"
or "marshy ground." This is now the accepted meaning
of the word and it is just as feasible as the former meaning,
if not more so, since Bac is one of the two places in the
radius of several hundreds of miles where there is a spring
of good water.
Like Casa Grande, it was the scene of several civiliza
tions and flourished, perhaps, about the same time, 1000
A.D. Just who these ancient peoples were is not known,
but th,ey are now thought to be contemporary with the
cliff-dwellers, and in turn the parents of the present Pimas.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 57
Humboldt ventures that they were the Aztecs passing on
their way to Mexico, and a legend goes that they came from
the North.
At any rate, Bac is a place of some historical and archae
ological importance, and at the time of Father Kino, was
the largest settlement in Pimeria Alta. It is hkely that
he would have made a trip as soon as the opportunity
afforded of visiting this flourishing place and making prep
aration for the estabhshment of a mission. It is said that
the Indians, hearing of Father Kino's work in Pimeria
Baja, sent a delegation to visit him in 1687 at his first mis
sion and headquarters, Nuestra Senorade los Dolores.
They besought him to visit the Santa Cruz Valley and
build a mission for them. Guevavi had been built a few
years before, so he and Salvatierra travelled as far north
as Tumacacori and established the mission of San Jose.
They were the first white men to enter the country since
Coronado. In the year 1692, as has been said, Kino made the first
of many visits to Bac. He often dwells upon the excel
lence of its location for a mission. In a letter to King
Phihp V. of Spain, he describes Bac in the following
words: "There are already very rich and abundant fields,
plantings and crops of wheat, maize, frijoles, chick-peas,
beans, lentils, bastard chick-peas, etc. There are good
gardens, and in them vineyards for wine for masses, with
reed-brakes of sweet cane for syrup and panocha, and,
with the favor of Heaven, before long for sugar. There
are many Castihan fruit trees, as fig-trees, quinces, oranges,
pomegranates, peaches, apricots, pear-trees, apples, mul
berries, pecans, prickly pears, etc., with all sorts of garden
stuff, such as cabbages, melons, watermelons, white cabbage,

58 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
lettuce, onions, leeks, garlic, anise, pepper, mustard, mint,
Castihan roses, white lilies, etc., with very good timber
for all kinds of building, such as pine, ash, cypress, walnut,
china-trees, mesquite, alders, poplar, willow, tamarind,
etc." The condition today is entirely different and small sage
brush and dwarfed mesquite-trees mark the spot of this
former paradise. That his letter is probably true is borne
out in part by the great dimension of the mesquite ceiling
beams and fine mesquite and pine doors, to be seen in the
mission. Mesquite trees of such size are seldom found
today in the valley, and the pine trees exist only in the
mountains. He makes note in another place of his going down the
San Pedro River to the Gila with Capt. Bernal and a guard
of soldiers, returning by way of Bac in the fall of 1697.
He also speaks of founding ranches in the Santa Cruz and
San Pedro valleys, preparatory to founding missions, few
of which materialized.
In 1699 he visited Bac and Sonoita with the Visitor-
General Antono Leal and another Jesuit. It was, no doubt,
at this time that they decided to found a mission. For
seven years, seemingly, the project had been seriously
considered, perhaps because of its being such a great dis
tance from the base of supplies and because of the great
length of time required to reach it. However, he states
definitely in his journal that in either the latter part of
April or early May, 1700, he went to Bac and founded the
mission of San Xavier, in honor of the great Jesuit "Apostle
to the Indies," ever his inspiration and guide. One has
been tempted to push the date shghtly forward, as there
were no tangible facts on record; now, once and for all
time, the date is settled by Father Kino's own manuscript.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 59
Just what sort of a church he built is impossible to say,
but we may well presume it was very similar to the one
he built about fifteen years before at Guevavi, of which
the ruins still remain. In Father Segesser's words: "God
had placed such building material near at hand in the shape
of ancient estufa, or kiva, still standing a short distance
off." This ruin evidently was incorporated in the original
building; but the belief often held that the present beautiful
structure was built at that time is, of course, quite absurd.
Father Francisco Gonzales was put in charge of the mis
sion in 1701 and it was administered, hke Guevevi, from
Dolores in the diocese of Durango. In this respect, the
manuscript shows Bancroft to be wrong in his statement
that San Xavier had no resident priests but was adminis
tered from Guevavi as a visita. In the same year, the
untiring Kino and Salviaterra were at Bac and Tumaca
cori. At this time the missions were flourishing and in Sonora
alone (including what is now Arizona) there were twenty-
nine missions with seventy-three visitas and rancherias.
Father Kino visited San Xavier the last time in 1702,
although he did not die until 1711, nine years later, at the
mission of Magdalena. He made over forty trips and
baptized alone over four thousand Indians. This stren
uous life told on his advancing years and prevented the
long trips into Arizona toward the end of his wonderful
career. Several priests followed Gonzales until 1750, when the
Pimas revolted again, and the mission was plundered.
The priest in charge was Father Paner, who escaped to
Suamca. He leaves a very interesting note in the Tubac
register as follows: "On the 21st of Nov. 1751, all this

€0 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
Pima nation rebelled and deprived this mission of its spir
itual minister, until now, 1754, in which year the Indians
have returned to their pueblo, meaning as they say, to
hve peaceably. And for the authenticity of this writing, I
sign it. Francisco Paner." He was entirely alone at
San Xavier, 60 miles from the nearest mission, and though
he undoubtedly knew trouble was brewing, he held his
post. The Pimas had revolted before, but as there were
no missions in northern Pimeria Alta (Arizona) at that
time, most of the danger was felt about the Altar River.
Father Paner was chiefly instrumental in quieting the
natives. A presidio was established at the visita Tubac
in 1752 for the protection of San Xavier and its visitas
and rancherias of Christian Indians.
Peace was restored and the intrepid Jesuits again started
out for the mission field. Paner resumed his charge at
San Xavier. It is very probable that the mission was
administered from Tubac, as the latter place was well
garrisoned. About 1776, the Presidio was moved from
Tubac to Tucson, as the latter visita was much closer to
Rac and the danger from the Apaches was becoming serious.
The amount of territory covered by one priest seems enor
mous. Tubac is approximately twenty miles from Bac,
Tucson nine miles, and Tumacacori thirty miles, compris
ing an area of five hundred square miles; yet the baptismal
and marriage registers show all these places administered
by the lone priest in charge at San Xavier del Bac.
We have hurried over the years of patient endurance
of the padres in the strange land beset with savages. It
would be tedious to recount the times of privation and
suffering amid the few bright years of prosperity. The
bare floor was the padre's bed, and the habit his only cover-

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 61
ing; parched corn was his food, which he often shared with
the Indians. He had pledged his hfe to Christ; suffering
to him was sweet, and martyrdom a privilege.
In 1764 there were about 1,250 good Indians, the others
doing much as they pleased. The fathers could hardly
be expected to hold thousands of Indians without some
help in the way of soldiers or necessities, and the Govern
ment was sadly negligent, as well as the Church, at times.
The affairs of State were undergoing a radical change,
and that its colonies were forgotten is very plausible.
Culminating all, in 1767, hke a thunderbolt from a clear
sky, the Jesuits were expelled from Spain and its posses
sions. Concerning this great blow to the order of Jesuits, let us
look at the bare historical facts from a non-sectarian point
of view. Think of the broader meaning — the welfare of
Spain, the Mother country, rather than the small mission-
field of the Southwest. In Spain, for the year 1749, sta
tistics show one hundred and eighty thousand persons
belonging to the clerical class, among whom one hundred
and twelve thousand belonged to Orders. Furthermore,
they enjoyed a revenue of three hundred and fifty millions
of dollars, a sum equal to the entire revenue of the State.
Charles III. came to the throne, perfectly orthodox in his
rehgious beliefs. He soon realized that the Church and
State must be divorced, a thing his predecessors felt but
lacked the courage to bring about. The Jesuits were rapidly
becoming the power behind the throne, possessing bound
less wealth and meddling with the Universities and schools.
Feeling was growing against them in other countries;
Pombal was working for their destruction in Portugal and
Frederick the Great was working for the enlightenment of

62 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
Germany. Largely because of shrewd energy of the Spanish
ambassador Moiiino, afterwards Count Floridallanca, the
Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish lands, at midnight
in March, 1767, by the order of the King. They departed
in thousands into Italy and Corsica, and later in 1773
their Order was formaUy abolished by Pope Clemont XIV.
The missions were immediately abandoned by the Jesuits,
who started for Mexico on their way to banishment, them
selves in no way to blame. There is a popular opinion
that the Jesuits had accumulated great riches from the
mines about and, unable to take it with them, buried the
treasure in the missions. It is a fortunate thing San Xavier
has been more or less protected, for treasure-seekers have
practically dug up the whole of the ground about Tumaca
cori. Several small ornaments at various times have been
uncovered in the missions, but they are of no great signi
ficance. The missions at that time were so poor that the
Jesuits had really very httle to bury and the story of the
mines is much overdrawn.
In 1768 the Order of St. Francis was requested by the
Government to take over the abandoned missions, which
they did in a most noble way; and the men they sent forth
were as sincere and daring as those unfortunate padres
who were retracing their steps. To San Xavier was sent
Fr. Francisco Garces, O.F.M., destined to become a great
figure in the history of that mission. His was the most
distant and precarious of the missions in the Pimeria Alta,
but he was equal to the task assigned. With him went
Fr. Jose del Rio as compaiiero.
Before the year was over the mission was destroyed by
the Apaches, while Garces lay sick at Guevavi. The
official report for that year shows a population of two hun-

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 63
dred and seventy, and the mission prospering — quite a
drop from a population of one thousand two hundred and
fifty of a few years before; but all the work had to be done
over again; and the expulsion and second destruction had
been keenly felt. The report also states the ' ' adobe church ' '
was sufficiently capacious but poorly equipped as to vest
ments and furniture. Fr. Garces, "armed with only charity
and apostolic zeal," gradually won the love of the Indians
for miles around; they called him their "old man," although
he was in fact a very young man. Arricivita speaks of
him in the foUowing glowing terms: "Fr. Francisco Garces
was never more happy than when he was engaged in con
verting souls from paganism, and it seemed as though he
lived on the bread of Divine Providence alone. He carried
no provisions, but subsisted upon what the Indians would
offer him. No road, be it ever so rough and dangerous,
could deter him; the most perilous situations were sweet
to him, if only he could give the natives an idea of Al
mighty God, who created them, and of the Living Savior,
who redeemed them."
Because of the fervent zeal and intrepidity of the Fran
ciscans, we find in 1776 forty flourishing missions in their
care, eight of which number, including visitas and rancherias,
were in what is now Arizona. It is difficult to discover
just what constituted a visita and rancheria, or even, at
times, a mission. The word pueblo is used often to define
the first two terms. A visita, in the strict sense of the
word, was a mission station, a settlement under a well
established mission and attended by the mission priest.
The mission was built as headquarters, while the visita
often had no church of its own, but simply a house for the
priest during his visit. A rancheria was nothing more

64 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
than an Indian viUage, cared for, if possible, by the nearest
priest. The whole of Pimeria Alta was included in the
diocese of Durango.
Guevavi and San Xavier were the only real missions at
that time. Each had several visitas, some of which later
became missions. For instance, Tumacacori was at first
a visita of Guevavi and later in the Franciscan period be
came a mission rivaling even San Xavier, though often
attended by the latter. Besides, San Xavier always re
tained Tubac and Tucson as visitas, from the earliest times.
In 1752 a presidio under Don Juan Bautista de Anza had
been placed at Tubac and in 1776 moved to Tucson; so
it is very likely that during the times of disorder, either of
these two latter places might have been the headquarters
and San Xavier along with Tumacacori the visita. In
fact, old registers indicate this to some extent.
Fathers foUowed Fathers in succession, and each in his
turn stood in loco parentis to the Indian. Yet, in the
registers, never once is the "new" church mentioned —
the present church. Concerning the date of its erection
there are few tangible facts on which we can base our
reasoning, so that the point has always remained unsolved.
There are many stories told concerning it, some, perhaps,
in part true and others due to the Indian's love of story
telling. It may be well to stop here in our historical nar
rative and speculate somewhat as to its date and construc
tion; all that is known and seemingly probable I shall
try to give.
We find the building standing as it is today, thirty years
after the arrival of the Franciscans. Just what kind of
church they found at Bac is a matter of supposition; but,
very hkely it was similar to the original one, namely an

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 65
adobe of several rooms. One must bear in mind that it
has been destroyed twice. As Bac was one of the most
important missions and the most distant post, the Jesuits
might have had ideas concerning a larger and more durable
structure; in fact, it is very possible they laid the present
foundation near the adobe church or on its very site, though
the expulsion would necessarily have stopped their work.
At the time of the restoration there was an adobe ruin
to the rear of the present church, believed to have been
the first structure. It also comes to mind that the present
monastery or dormitory wing might be the original Jesuit
church, as it is of adobe while the church proper is baked
brick. If the church and dormitory wing were built at
the same time, why should the dormitory wing not need
the same protection of heavy and well constructed walls?
There might have been a second story, for a stair-way ran
up from the rear of the eastern end, yet the earliest print
shows the stairway covered, but no trace of a second story.
Should this be the original church, the second floor might
have been destroyed during the several attacks. Old
prints also show the windows and doors as being arched,
and a general arched entry, such as would be in keeping
with simple church architecture. Not wishing to destroy
the old mission, they could have built the new one against
it, thus merging the work of the Jesuit and Franciscan into
one. This is a popular idea, perhaps because of its sim
plicity. However, it is dismissing the idea too easily with
merely a pretty and poetic explanation.
The old Indians today, in speaking of the mission, teU
of the "black robes." For the most part they have spent
the whole of their hves in its monastic shadow and their
fathers helped build it, so that in their minds the good

66 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
priests are still closely connected with the structure. The
Jesuits wear black robes and, true to the Indian nature,
this one mark characterized the priests in their primitive
minds. It is evident that in the eye of the Indian the white
cord would characterize the Franciscan, and the Indian
after being under his guidance for over a hundred years,
would hardly speak of him as "black robe"; and further
more, the Franciscan robe is not black but brown. Again,
the Indians who have seen only one Order or, perhaps
only a few passing priests, caU them the "long robes."
So it seems the Indians, sitting around their fires at night,
told of the man in black who had come and suddenly gone;
and today the old Indians stand and gaze at the great
mission and whisper; "Black Robe." This tends, to some
extent, to show that the mission was at least begun by
the Jesuits.
Another striking point is that no other Franciscan mis
sion, built under the same conditions, is cruciform in plan;
San Xavier is a perfect Latin cross. Take the missions of
Cahfornia, New Mexico and Texas and one finds the church
proper to be a rectangle. The Franciscan churches of
Mexico often have a cruciform plan, but they were built
not so much as missions; they were in a settled country,
whereas the northern part of Pimeria Alta, at this time,
was much as it was at the time of Father Kino. The
only other Franciscan mission of Arizona worthy of note
as a piece of architecture is Tumacacori, finished about
1800, several years later than San Xavier. In many ways
it is more pretentious, but in plan it is simply a rectangle.
During their period of power in Church and State the
Jesuits developed fine architects and builders, while the
Franciscans remained silent and unseen. As far as studied

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 67
plan is concerned, the Jesuit works are found to possess
great merit, and this further tends to prove that San Xavier,
which not only differs from but is better in general plan
than any of the Franciscan missions, was begun by the
Jesuits. If the Jesuit building was not in some way incorporated
with the present building, why should the Franciscans
have retained the name of St. Francis Xavier, who was a
Jesuit priest? This necessitated their giving the chief
place in their altar to his figure. The Jesuits were held in
general disfavor, although not, perhaps, by the Francis
cans. Nevertheless, the Franciscans changed the names
of other of the Jesuit missions. Another point of interest
is the symbol which appears on the copper cover of the
baptismal fount. It is the weU known form, made up
of the first and last two letters of IHSTS, the Greek
word for Jesus. The symbol was often employed by the
Jesuits and sometimes erroneously beheved to be their
accepted monogram. Over the main entrance of the fachada
the Franciscans placed their coat-of-arms and, inside,
their emblematic knotted cord runs all around the wall
and falls in two large tassels on either side of the altar.
The only date of significance in the church, is one carved
on the sacristal door: Pedro Bojs ano die — 1797, which
put into Enghsh form is no doubt as follows: Pedro Bojor-
ques — on a day in the year 1797. He is supposed to have
been the builder employed by the fathers. Vandals have
covered many of the waUs and doors with their names
and dates of pilgrimage, but they are as uninteresting as
their owners.
The record of Arricivita brings us down to 1791, and
from then on we know but httle of mission history in Ari-
6

PEDRO BOf.

ANO 97

TMt NAWC Or TMt &VILDtP_-OE-°CAE-
PtNTtEO"A5-ITAPPtAEa-ON-THtOACtil3- TAL- DOOE-
lTEtADS: ¦PtDKO r>OJORQVta-.,bNA-DAVlNTHtYtAK.IT97-

WDv««;

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 69
zona. The date before referred to on the sacristy door
may be taken as the date of completion. An old Indian
some thirty years ago spoke of having assisted at the dedi
cation exercises as a child; so we reasonably may set the
date as 1797. To be sure, aU that is known concerning
San Xavier is scant and often inaccurate; but, after several
years of diligent research I have concluded:
1. That the church as built by Father Kino was of adobe
and sinnlar to the mission Guevavi; very likely it incor
porated a prehistoric ruin;
2. That it was destroyed two or more times, but before
the expulsion, the Jesuits laid the foundation of the present
church; 3. That the foundation lay untouched for a few years
and about 1783 the present church was built upon it and
dedicated in 1797.
It flourished until the year 1810, when the cry of "Hidal*
go" was heard all over Mexico. From then on the missions
suffered either from revolutions or want of aid, until the
Spanish Cortes on September 13, 1813 passed the decree
depriving the missionaries of all control over their missions,
which, in turn, reverted to the State, save provision of a
small piece of land to each Indian family. Thus the mis
sions were reduced to mere parish churches; and many o£
the missionaries left for new fields of endeavor.
In 1821 Mexico declared herself a Repubhc and the re
maining fathers, not wishing to leave the Indians without
spiritual guidance, swore aUegiance to the new Govern
ment. Revolutions arose and another government ap
peared which the fathers would not recognize, so they were
aU driven out; at least, no mention is made of a Franciscan
in Arizona after 1824. With them passed the missions. ;

70 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
San Xavier remained without a priest for many years,
but was never abandoned by the Bishop of Sonora. The
parish priest at Magdalena was in charge, but the Indians
saw a minister of God only on rare occasions. In 1854
the United States Government purchased from Mexico
the land known as the Gadsden Purchase. This consti
tuted the northern part of Pimeria Alta, bringing the mis
sions from Guevavi to San Xavier into the boundaries of the
United States. Arizona was put in the diocese of Santa
Fe, New Mexico, in 1859. The Right Rev. J. B. Lamy,
then Bishop of New Mexico, sent his Vicar-General J. B.
Machebeuf (who later became the first bishop of Denver,
Colo.), to ascertain the condition of the missions and the
state of affairs.
When the Indians heard that a priest was coming
among them, they brought back the sacred articles of the
altar which they had taken to their homes, to prevent
them from being carried off. They rushed to the towers
and rang the long silent bells', welcoming him; and
they brought their children to be baptized. The good
priest found that some stiU remembered their prayers and
he was more than surprised that a few could sing Mass.
The church at San Xavier was the only mission not com
pletely in ruins, but to him we owe its preservation today.
He covered the roof with cement to stop leakage, and
braced the waUs to prevent spreading. The Indians joy
fully helped him in his work, for it was they who for years
had protected the mission, as best they could, against the
raids of the Apache. He could spend but a few months in
Arizona, as his duties of Vicar-General caUed him to his
Bishop. However, his favorable report was the means of
a priest being sent to San Xavier again.

15Om
o 0
H B
Q 09o
1-5

72 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
In March 1864, the Right Rev. Bishop himself came to
Arizona and held visitation at both San Xavier and the
new parish of San Augustine at Tucson. There was an
attempt made in 1866 to start a school for the Indian chil
dren but because of limited means, it lasted only a few
months. Again in 1873, a school was started by three
Sisters of St. Joseph from Carondelet, Missouri. They
occupied the rooms formerly used as a storehouse by the
Franciscans. The teachers were very successful in their
work and the Indians were beginning to take an interest
in their studies when, in 1876, the lack of means was again
felt and the school closed.
The need of spiritual guidance for the Indian was becom
ing a serious problem. Since 1824 there had been almost
no organized effort to hold a priest at the Mission and most
of the time it was without sign of one. The keys of the
Church were entrusted to an Indian family, and every two
weeks a priest from Tucson would journey to the Mission
and say Mass.
The Right Reverend P. Bourgade, then Bishop of Ari
zona, felt the great need of rehgious teachers and in the
faU of 1886 he offered the Mission of San Xavier to the
Franciscan Order again. At that time they could not
accept it because of the paucity of fathers. However,
nine years later, towards the end of 1895, the Very Rev
erend Michael Richardt, O.F.M., provincial of the Pro
vince of the Sacred Heart, accepted St. Mary's congre
gation at Phoenix, Arizona, and with it the care of the
Pima, Maricopa and other Indian tribes.
The restoration was begun during the latter part of the
year 1906. A period of rainy weather had seriously dam
aged the buildings and threatened their safety. Bishop

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 73
Granjon realized the grave significance, and most nobly
undertook the work. Under his personal direction the
Church and adjoining buildings were completely gone over,
the work being done, for the most part, by Indian labor
and extending over a period of three years.
The extant portions were reinforced and the fallen por
tions raised from their ruins. The exteriors of the Church
and buildings were entirely plastered and the front wall
wisely made more attractive, its defensive character being
now quite out of place, considering that it serves the gentle
Papago as a house of worship.
Additional dormitory and class rooms were built from the
fight end of the dormitory wing and extending to the rear,
thus forming a patio. A cloister was incorporated corre
sponding with the adjoining original one. A rear orna
mental gateway replaced the long fallen defensive wall,
thus enclosing the patio.
Old cuts and photographs were closely followed and
nothing was added or changed except in a few minor cases
demanded by necessity. So successfully was the design

¦

¦

' ' .¦• .^.,.d^: -_:\";

74 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
and feehng of the Mission carried out, that it must frankly
be admitted that it is impossible upon mere observation
to distinguish just where the old work ends and the new
work begins.
To Bishop Granjon, more than to any other person is
due the credit that the greatest of all missions, San Xavier
del Bac, stands today in its entirety.
Description.
The church faces directly south contrary to the general
rule that the apse should be to the east. In view of the
fact that aU the supply trains and whatever visitors they
might have had came from the south, the rule was dispensed
with; besides, topographical conditions would not lend
themselves so weU to any other arrangement. To foUow
the description with understanding, the drawings must
be referred to and the path of procedure closely followed,
as the partie is somewhat comphcated.
Let us imagine ourselves standing on the plaza before
the mission. We will give it a general survey, then proceed
directly to the atrium and enter the church. A systematic
route wfll be foUowed: first, the church proper, then the
towers, dormitory rooms, and patio, and last the mortuary
chapel and its enclosure.
The mission stands on a shghtly elevated position and is
easily seen from distant parts of the vaUey. The padres
had few roads to foUow and the mission had to direct the
way as weU as beacon the distant Indian.
The fachada of the church is symmetrical, with two
plain towers on either side of an ornate gabled entrance.
Above the broken arch of the gable, the noble dome may
be seen between the towers. The windows and doors are

00

p
o n
<<
n aaH s
Mi>

<
CO

76 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
symmetricaUy placed and thrown whoUy in shadow by the
heavy walls. Their blackness, contrasted with the glist
ening whiteness of the walls, and the reddish ornamenta
tion about the entrance make a picture against the cloud
less sky and endless desert, not to be forgotten.
To the left is the mortuary chapel enclosed by a wall and
separated from the waU of the atrium by only a narrow
pathway. To the right is the chain of dormitory rooms
and class-rooms often referred to as the monastery or the
mission buildings. A waU encloses the whole of the fachada
and joins the waU of the mortuary chapel with an arch
over the entrance to the pathway. The waU is new and
more elaborate than the original waU, which graduaUy
feU away until the restoration. The photographs show
the old waU standing in part at various times. A striking
thing about the fachada is the unfinished tower to our
right. OriginaUy it lacked both dome and plaster, but
during the restoration the mission and all its buildings
were plastered completely and painted white. We will
pass on and later go through this tower, about which so
much wfld speculation has been made.
Let us now cross the plaza and enter the walled atrium,
which separates the church from the plaza. Here the
Indians were gathered together for meetings not directly
connected with the church. It was originally paved with
flag, stones, which graduaUy broke away during the aband
onment, leaving the exposed ground. Strange to say, the
atrium soon became hteraUy a burying ground, the Indian
reasoning that the nearer to the church he rested, the better
chance he would have for paradise.
The fachada is well worth some study. Two small
doors form the main entrance, while about it and high over

San Xavieb del Bac. Detail of Main Entrance, before restoration.

78 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
our heads rises the rich gabled ornamentation, the one
spot of display on the whole structure. It was untouched
even at the time of restoration, its soft red tone still showing
some traces of the original colored decoration.
The workmanship is exquisite and highly graceful.
Arabesques in low relief flow over the flat field, and on each
side of the entrance rise two vertical and fanciful columns
of Moorish feeling, the middle ones supporting a broken
arch. Between the columns are two figures in niches,
without inscriptions. Nevertheless, we may quite accur
ately infer whom they represent. The first, above and to
the left, wears a crown and a royal robe, and we may take
it to be King Charles III. of Spain, under whose sovereignty
the Church was built. The figure below is totally effaced.
To our right, the above figure carries a tambourine, and
the attribute and appearance seem to fit St. Cecelia. The
figure below is extremely interesting. Though it is now
almost totally obliterated, the Indians still continue to
burn candles in the niche about it, as they have done for
over a century. The figure is blackened and almost a mass
of candle grease. When asked the reason for their worship
they tell you that the good saint cures their sore eyes.
Trachoma seems to be a common ailment among the South
west Indians today. The rest is not difficult to under
stand. The old Indians have handed down to their chil
dren the stories of the four personages represented, while
to us they have been forgotten during the years of abandon
ment. The Indian continued to live about the church
and retained much of his rehgious training, and this saint
seems always to have been remembered, thanks largely
to the Indian's ocular infirmity. The conditions call to
mind St. Lucile, who is often invoked for eye troubes.

Statuette on Ornamental Gable, St. Cecelia. Note Tambourine.

80 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
Over the entrance is one of the three front balconies
(the tower on either side having one), and above its doors
is placed the coat-of-arms of the Order of St. Francis of
Assisi. It consists of an escutcheon with a white ground
on wliich are displayed a twisted cord (a mark of the Fran
ciscan dress) and a cross on which are nailed one arm of
our Savior and one of St. Francis. The arm of the Christ
is bare, while that of St. Francis is covered. The meaning
to be inferred is that of the union of the disciple and the
Divine Master in charity and in suffering. To the right
of the escutcheon is the monogram of Jesus, the Savior
of men, and to the left that of the Blessed Virgin. Two
ornamental bunches of grapes in the upper decoration
signify the land of plenty and two small lions on either
side, a symbol used throughout the building, represent the
Lions of Castile. Surmounting the broken gable is what
remains of a life-size bust of St. Francis of Assisi. For
many years it has stood, an indistinguishable cone of
plastered brick with only tradition to name it. Reminis
cent of the iron barred windows of Mexico, the padres
used carved wooden spindles, which are very appropriate;
the balconies are also carefuUy made of wood. Over each
of the windows in the tower is a hght and charming decor
ation, monastic in its quiet simphcity and almost imper
ceptible. It reminds one of the echo of a beautiful song —
a song that will never be heard again.
Let us now enter the smaU heavy doors into the church
proper. We find ourselves at once in the nave, but in
what in reahty corresponds to the narthex of the basilica,
where those unfortunates were placed who were not con
sidered of sufficient purity by their good brothers, who
sat, as it were, in the inner circle near the altar. However,

San Xavier del Bac. The Nave looking towards the Main Altar.

82 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
the narthex was of little use in the case of the Indian; if
he came at aU the padres were thankful. Directly over
our heads is the choirloft and at the extreme end is the
main altar. The plan is a perfect Latin cross, the tran
septs dividing the church into an apse and nave, and them
selves forming two chapels on either side. The high arches
springing from the Franciscan frieze around the waU and
pilasters divide the church into six parts. Over the crossing
of the transepts and nave, the dome rises on the arches
and pendentives. Small benches are placed along the
nave, leaving a central aisle.
The air is very cool and laden with a heavy incense.
The diffused hght from the high windows at first gives to
all a bluish tone; but, on one's becoming accustomed to
the light, a mass of color grows evident, the remains of a
decoration that was once briUiant in the extreme. Even
to Eastern eyes, the colors, though faded, still appear gaudy
and bizarre. Of course, this holds true with many of the
paintings done in a sunny land by a native people. The
East is a land of grays and subtle tones, and the inhabitant
develops, perhaps, a finer sense of color values than his
western brother, who hves in a land of intense color. Color
ing is all about him and the very mountains seem to radiate
color. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to witness
a mirage or even a sunset on the "Painted Desert" can
weU appreciate this fact. Take, for instance, the pictures
of the Spanish painter Goya or his follower Zuloaga or
even those of Sorolla y Bastida. Their pictures are worthy
examples and the colors bold — reds, yeUows and blues,
and often outhned by blacks. To an eye untrained in
such a school they are perhaps more novel and virtuosi
than beautiful; but they are good pictures, nevertheless.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 83
The same thought may be applied to the mission of the
padres. They were imbued with the native coloring of
Spain and the violent contrasts of Mexico; they built the
church for savages who hved on the desert sands and whose
sole expression was color. The white walls and painted
statues, the profusion of gilt on the altar — all is even now
beauty ad infinitum to him. Let us not be too critical in
the judgment of a work not of our kind nor meant for us;
rather, let us consider the artisan and his purpose, then
determine whether or no he has accomphshed his end.
At any rate, to the author, the hand of time has merged
and scumbled the colors until they all blend into a soft
tone. The dados have almost disappeared and many of
the frescoes are practicaUy indistinguishable. The altars
for the most part retain their gold-leaf, now a rich golden
brown; but the vaults of the ceiling, which were said to
have been so covered, are now entirely barren, thanks
perhaps to unscrupulous treasure-seekers.
Let us begin at our left and go completely around the
interior, examining the statues, frescoes, and other things
that may be interesting. Immediately to our left is a
smaU door which opens to the baptistry in the tower.
For the time being we wiU pass this by and consider the
small receptacle fashioned in the corner of the waU and
the first pilaster. The earthen bowl is worn away by the
thousands of hands dipped into its waters and it bears mute
witness of the worshippers of a past century. From the
pilaster springs the arch which upholds the choir-loft
and from the former is projected the figure of a cherub.
Passing on we come to another door which opens to the
outside, and was a convenient way to the mortuary chapel.
Then comes a second pilaster in which is a niche containing
7

San Xavier del Bac. Apse and Gospel Chapel to the left.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 85
a small figure of St. Matthew. Many such figures will
be seen, all very good examples of hand carving and evi
dently brought from Mexico. The drawings must neces
sarily be consulted at this point to ascertain the general
proportions of the details with respect to the ensemble.
Next we come to a large fresco of the "Last Supper."
It has been darkened by time, and much of its surface
has flaked off. The third, a double pilaster, which finishes
one corner where the transept crosses the nave, has a niche
on either side containing Saint Bartholomew and Saint
Phihp. Entering the gospel chapel formed by the transept, we
find two altars: the larger one at the end is very similar
to the main altar and is dedicated to the Passion of our
Lord, and the second, which is on the right, to St. Joseph.
To the left and above is a large fresco of the Presentation
of our Lord in the Temple and, below, another picturing
Our Lady of the Pillar (an apparition of the Mother of
God, at Saragosa). Here also stands the old confessional
chair enclosed in a curtained booth.
Let us now pass on to the apse, containing the main
altar. It is enclosed by a low hand-carved railing, corre
sponding to the elaborate metal screens found in Spanish
churches in which art the Spanish exceUed. On either.
side of the gateway is a grotesque figure of a lion, pre
sumably guarding the altar and symbolic again of the
Lions of Castile. Each held a huge wooden candle-stick,
since taken away. The two double pflasters at the meet
ing of the transepts and apse contain on the left the figures
of St. James and St. John, and on the right St. Thomas
and St. Ignatius Loyola. Above, the figures of two angels
of hfe size are hung, each holding a silken banner on which

86 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
appear the words "Gloria in Excelsis Deo." The figures
are stiU clothed in their precious coverings and are indeed
lovely to behold. They are said to be the two daughters
of the artist who decorated the interior. Before us rises
the main altar, dedicated to St. Francis Xavier. His
crowned figure occupies the chief position and is clothed in
rich velvet and hnen, after the manner of the figures in
Spanish and Mexican cathedrals. Above is the figure of
the Holy Virgin with the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul
on either side. Surmounting the altar is the figure of God,
the Creator. The figures of the twelve apostles of the
Catholic Church are placed about the nave in regular
order, starting from St. Peter on the main altar. The
group very appropriately adds St. Ignatius Loyola, the
founder of the Jesuit Order, as the last and thirteenth
figure. The frescoes are worthy of our attention; to the right
are "The Adoration of the Wise Men" and "The Flight
into Egypt," while on the left are the "Adoration of the
Shepherds" and the "Annunciation." Near the altar
stand a massive table and simple bench with a low back,
both preserved from the original furniture. Two fragments
of the old floor may also be seen here, they wisely having
been left in place by the Bishop when he directed the
Restoration. A low door beneath the fresco of the "Adoration of the
Wise Men" opens into the sacristy. Here we find a square
room containing a closet, formed in the massive waU for
the priests' garments, and a piscini for washing the hands
and sacred vessels. The ceiling is a segmental dome;
parts of its decoration show it to have been one of the most
beautiful spots in the whole church, the color of the flowered

San Xavier del Bac, Main Altar and Pulpit.

88

MISSION ARCHITECTURE.

vault being the marvel of modern artists. A fresco of
the Crucifixion, the largest in the church, appears on one
of the waUs. In this room were kept the sacred vessels,
and from aU accounts we may believe the Church was,

San Xavier del Bac. Confessional Chair and Musical Wheel.
at the time of secularization, furnished with vestments
unequaUed by any mission of the Southwest. This is
borne out by the fact that many rare objects of great value,

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 89
once belonging to the mission, are now in the possession
of residents of Arizona. For the most part, they were
taken when the mission was abandoned, but to retain them
still is quite inexcusable.
There are the huge hand-carved wooden candlesticks
which were held by the lions on either side of the main
altar; and a rare, sohd silver candlestick of Spanish crafts
manship, consisting of three elephants whose raised trunks
uphold the receptacle for the candle. There was also a
solid sUver communion service, which was taken and has
never been seen since. It may be that these fine objects
appear to more advantage on private buffets than on the
sacred altars for which they were intended. We wiU let
the possessors decide.
The door through which we entered is of special interest,
as it bears the only date known in connection with the
mission. As has been mentioned elsewhere, the name
"Pedro Bojorques, 1797," appears on the sacristal side
of the door. The letters are of Spanish design and cut
with great care. The builder — if so he was— seems to
have shown great discretion and modesty in selecting
the place on which to put his mark, that peoples to come
may in some way connect the simple name with the great
work. Another door, on the opposite side, opens to an
arched cloister enclosing the patio.
We may now return to the nave and continue along the
opposite waUs to the main entrance again. First, we will
study the second chapel formed by the transepts, named
the epistle chapel. Here also are two altars, the one
directly before us dedicated to the "Mother of Sorrows"
and the altar to the left to the immaculate Conception.
A large wooden cross, once bearing a life-size representation

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 91
Of the Christ, is imbedded in the waU above the figure
of Mary, the Mother. The dress covering the latter
figure is a bridal gown donated sixty years ago by a young
Indian woman who pledged to give to the church her
dearest possession, if a certain prayer were answered. On
the right wall of the chapel are two frescoes, one portraying
Our Lady of the Rosary and the other, above, the hidden
life of our Savior. There are many smaller statues placed
about the transeptal altars of no great importance. They
represent men high in rank in the Holy Orders, and each
has some attribute by which he may be recognized as well
as by his name painted on the base. SmaU cherubim in
bas-relief upon the waUs hold receptacles for candles,
symbolic, perhaps, of the messengers of God spreading
hght and humihty among men.
Stepping back into the nave, we pass the fourth corner-
pilaster containing the figure of St. Thaddeus, the last in
order of the twelve apostles. What would have been the
niche for Judas, we find empty and cleverly concealed be
hind the pulpit. From these pilasters, formed by the
crossing of the nave and transepts, spring the graceful
arches that upheld the great dome. Before us stands the
original pulpit, none the worse for time, and from which
Enghsh, Spanish, and Papago are spoken today. The
pulpit shows hand carving of excellent workmanship;
and considering the tools and conditions, it is nothing short
of marvelous. One must continuaUy bear in mind the
facts that the padres were several thousands of miles from
the base of supphes and that most of their work was done
by Indian labor. Passing along this side of the nave we
find another large fresco, opposite the first one we saw on
the other side, representing the Holy Ghost descending
upon the disciples.

92 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
The next pilaster contains the figure of St. Simon and
then we find the picture of a door painted on the wall,
similar to the door directly opposite; the idea is, of course,
to give symmetry to the interior. Now we come to the
other pilaster from which springs the arch which supports
the choir-loft, and discover it also has a weU modeUed cheru
bim formed with it. Here we find a similar receptacle
for holy water and opposite the Bapistry door is a hke
entrance to a room, at one time used as mortuary chapel,
corresponding to the same in old basilicas. We have now
gone completely around the waUs of the church proper.
A few details may be noted, such as the frescoes on the
pendentives upholding the low vaults of the ceiling and
those in the drum and dome over the crossing. The fres
coes on the pendentives upholding the drum are\)f some
interest as they picture the four Latin Doctors, St. Thomas
Aquinas, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. Ambrose.
The dome itself is covered with paintings of various saints,
few of which can now be recognized. St. Clair with the
Remonstrance, St. Cecilia with a tambourine and St. Hed-
wich with a smaU church in her hand are distinguishable.
The Franciscan frieze running about the walls and forming
the front of the balcony, is of great interest and the detail-
drawing of it should be studied. Its general motif is car
ried throughout the whole building in the manner of cor
nices, copings and capitals of columns. The mission of
San Jose de Tumacacori, finished several years later, took
over the design in its interior decoration. The Francis
can cord is the feature of the decoration and faUs in two
tassels on either side of the statue of St. Francis Xavier
(the Jesuit, by the way), in the main altar. From the
cord faUs a sort of hem, representing the folds of the robe.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 93
Along this hem are hung alternatingly the bell and the
pomegranate. The vaults of the ceiling are rigid to repre
sent sheUs, while the vault over the apse forms a perfect
sheU, springing from the altar as a center. The shell is
employed throughout as one of the many forms of symbolic
decoration, all of which wiU be taken up in the chapter on
architecture. Let us now pass to the towers and upper parts of the
church. Stooping, we pass through the door to the bap
tistry and find ourselves in a small room, beautifully
decorated. A large fresco of the Baptism of Christ appears
on the waU. The room is groin-vaulted and contains
the lower front window, reached by three steps. It is
barred with wooden spindles and has heavy shutters open
ing in. Without a doubt, such construction as we have
encountered was to assure safety in case of another uprising
of the Indians. In the center of the room is the baptismal
font, a pedestal of burned brick enclosing a copper bowl.
The covering is also of copper and contains the mono
gram, I. H S., Jesus, Savior of Men. Today it is rarely
used but stands worn and broken, bearing mute note of
the baptisms the ragged registers record.
The stairs, built in the thickness of the waUs, take us
to the choir- vestry, adjoining the choir-loft. Its ceiling,
too, is groin- vaulted, but the waUs are uncolored; a door
opens to a front balcony. The best view of the interior
of the church may be obtained from the choir-loft. Here
we find a few interesting frescoes of the Holy Family and
the home at Nazareth, St. Francis represented as wrapt up
by Heavenly love in a fiery chariot and St. Dominic re
ceiving the Rosary from the Blessed Virgin. In the pen
dentives are the four evangehsts with their characteristic

94 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
attributes. Around the walls are projecting beams oh
which seats were placed for the singers, and on the waUs
are painted beautifully upholstered backs. A door opens
upon the balcony over the main entrance and another
opens to a room similar to the choir- vestry in the opposite
tower. From the choir-vestry the stairs lead to the belfry,
around which is a small balustrade and within, a seat for
the beU-ringer to sit, or to rest — if he be an Indian.
Three bells make up the chime, although originally the
mission had four in each tower. One of the bells is a mem
ber of the famous "lost chime" of San Juan Bautista in
Cahfornia. It is weU cast and its inscription quite clear —
S. JVAN BAVTJSTA—
The two remaining bells are poorly cast and the inscrip
tion on one is entirely uninteUigible; the other inscription
reads I. I. SERA XABYER A.A.D. 1807. The tone of
the last two compares in no way with that of the first,
but the trio, nevertheless, sound sweet, pealing over the
silent desert.
A few more risers take us to the roof, but at this time let
us climb the remaining flights of stairs to what we may
caU the cupola, wbich culminates in a domical vault. Here
a wonderful panorama of the vaUey unfolds itself to us.
Descending to the roof we may walk about and then
visit the other tower. Around the edge of the roof is a
low ornamental parapet wall culminating at equal dis
tances in a small decorative spire set on either side with
lion heads, at one time very similar to those griffin-like
figures on either side of the altar, but since replaced by
others far too modern — that is, machine-made. Here
one has the opportunity to study the huge dome and drum,

San Xavieb del Bac. Belfry and Parapet Wall. Bell from San Juan
Bautista is to the left.

96 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
rising high above the roof. The dome is interesting in
many ways and compares favorably with many famous
domes of the world as to artistic merit and construction.
The octagonal drum contains four smaU fanciful windows
which let fall the rays of the sun on the altar below. Cross
ing to the east tower, we find it exactly like the other save
that it lacks a smaU dome, and the outside stairway from
the roof is of different design. Just why this tower was
left unfinished is hard to say. The brick masons did not
die, for they later constructed the mission of Tumacacori,
— which also, by the way, seems never to have had a dome
over its single massive tower. We may give the credit
for one explanation to the Indian, an exceUent story-teller,
who never allows the narrow margin of truth to mar a
good story.
When the good fathers were finishing the last tower and
the big church was nearing completion, he says, one of
their number, about to apply the first brick in making the
dome, lost his balance and fell to the ground. And the
tower was never touched again. Such an explanation,
though simple and beautiful, will not satisfy everyone.
Many hold the condition arose from the lack of funds,
which reason has much in its favor. The missionaries
built their churches with the limited materials at hand.
and from the scant proceeds derived from the land assigned
each mission and from their hve stock. Besides, each
padre received provisions from the government amounting
to $300 yearly. This, to some extent, explains why the
building of the missions took so long a time, but it can hardly
be apphed as the reason for the unfinished condition of
San Xavier. It is out of the question to suppose that
they would have spent the traditional fourteen years in

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 97
the building of the structure and then, when at most not
more than one week's work remained, have stopped all
operations. Another reason may be offered, though today
often held in disfavor by the Church. Many of the great
cathedrals of Europe are in a strikingly unfinished con
dition; and most of the cathedrals of Mexico have been
left unfinished, in some part. In regard to the former,
the cause may be attributed for the most part to weary
abandonment. They were built at various times, over a
period of several hundred years, and gradually the work
was discontinued. On the other hand, tradition relates
that the unfinished condition is due to the fact that church
property was taxed at one time, unless unfinished. At
any rate, the idea of the unfinished appearance, the unsym-
metrical, became incorporated in church architecture,
and even today many large churches are designed with
this bit of historic precedent in mind.
To be sure, the modest churches of the padres would
hardly have been taxed at any time; and if we would apply
this theory to San Xavier, we must imagine the padres
sincerely trying to imitate the cathedrals of their native
land; hence, they left off a cupola — it was quite the thing.
As there are no beUs in this tower, the stairway has been
blocked up at the second floor. This gives rise to the so-
called "dungeon" about which we often hear. True, it
is a rather dark hole to descend into, and hundreds of bats
make it all the more uncanny. One not acquainted with
the plan of the structure, might well wonder upon first
seeing the dark passage just where it does lead, especiaUy
as the towers and upper parts of the church are usuaUy
closed to visitors. However, both towers are exactly
ahke and there is no "secret" chamber.

98 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
To return, we must therefore go by the way we came,
that is, across the roof, down the west tower and into the
nave. Now, let us enter the room opposite the Baptistry,
which, bear in mind, is the first floor of the unfinished tower.
It corresponds to the mortuary chapel of the early basilica
and now serves as a dining-room for the Sisters. From
here a passage opened through the stairway to a large room,
included between the transept and the tower. It was
used as a provision room, but it is now divided by a par
tition, the part next to the transept made into a beautiful
chapel and the other towards the dining room, used as a
storeroom. Both are now reached from the outside.
Adjoining the dining . room is the kitchen, included in
the monastery adjoining the church and extending away
towards the east. At one time this dormitory feature
included rooms for the priests, soap factory, stores for
provisions, and several farm houses, some of them ex
tending south and facing on the plaza. A heavy wall
enclosed the space to the rear of the dormitory rooms,
forming a rear yard. Here, in case of attack, the women
were placed for protection while the men took their position
on the near-by fortified bills.
In 1873, the dormitory-wing was repaired and turned
into class rooms, while another dormitory group was built
extending to the north, enclosing a patio. At the time of
restoration, what remained of the old wall was replaced
by one more elaborate. An arched cloister ran around the
two sides of the rear court and was later extended with
the new dormitory rooms.
Let us now cross over the atrium to the West side of
the church and enter the cemetery. OriginaUy the entry
was in the north waU, as the old photographs show, but

San Xavieb del Bac. View of the Nave from the Choir Loft.

3 o vtitb
5« z < o z

©©©©©©©©

£ 6 *

©

a

a

1«r

c

?W |

o
z <

¦n i I
t- 2 *>

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 101
as the north yard was later set aside for the domestic ani
mals, the entry was changed to its present position in the
east wall. The little chapel to the west is where the bodies
were kept until the ceremony of burial could be performed.
It is surmounted by a low dome with a lantern, and over
the entrance rises a graceful gable-belfry in which are
places for three small beUs, only one of which is now in
place. The chapel has since been dedicated to "Our
Lady of Sorrows."
Around the walls of the yard are the fourteen Stations
of the Cross, replaced at the time of restoration. All
traces of graves have disappeared, but very hkely many
of the early fathers repose within its walls as well as in the
church itself. Architecture and Decoration.
In studying San Xavier del Bac, we are dealing with
the most perfect example of mission architecture, yet how
seldom is its significance realized. One hears a great
deal more of the California missions, thanks to a peculiar
faculty for advertising, indigenous with the "Native Son."
But the popular thing is rarely the most deserving, from
an artistic or architectural standpoint.
The Cahfornia missions, for the most part, are charm
ingly without architecture; they have a decided picturesque
quahty that is more appeahng to the painter than to the
architect. The physical California cannot be forgotten.
The tourist, sitting idly in the soft shade of the palm trees;
contemplating the humble mission with its white walls
and red roof, set against the green hills or ocean, feels
that he has seen aU the missions have to offer. One could
hardly expect him to sit idly in the scorching sun on the

102 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
desert sands and contemplate anything. Take the natural
settings from the Cahfornia missions and one finds httle
left in the way of charm or beauty.
San Xavier, in the very heart of the desert, with nothing
but sands and sage-brush about, hemmed in by distant
mountains, has always attracted artists and students
through its very greatness. Travelers who have seen other
missions stand amazed before this great, white, isolated
cathedral. Someone has said that it would do justice to
Fifth Avenue, New York. Perhaps so, as an archaeologi
cal specimen, but hardly from an aesthetic point of view.
It is peculiarly in harmony with the desert — a land terrible
in its desolation yet subtly beautiful in its moods of color,
Like aU of the missions it was influenced directly by Mexico.
but besides, it expresses to a marked degree, the best fea
tures of the mission style as exhibited by all the other
missions. To some extent, it served as a model for the
larger missions, there being relations at various times
between the padres and inhabitants of the different fields.
However, the missions that came later were influenced by
pseudo-classicism and many grew to resemble ludicrous
Greek temples as far as the fachada was concerned.
No mission excels San Xavier in serious design and pure
artistry. The two admired towers of Santa Barbara fall
far short when compared with those of San Xavier, and the
noble dome of the latter has stood unequa'ed. San Xavier
alone contains elaborate vaulting and great arches, while
its cruciform plan places it in a position unique among
missions. Its frescoes and ornamented altars are praised
by artists today, whereas other missions were contented
with a colored waU.
In general most of the missions are imbued with a de-

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 103
cided Moorish feehng. San Xavier, however, being more
pretentious, cannot be designated as an example of any one
style, especially when one considers the many influences
then bearing upon it. Traces of the Moorish, Byzantine
and basihcan styles are aU in evidence, but to analyze the
work thoroughly is a hopeless task, as aU merge into one
and form a part of the mission style.
The Moor with his abstract decoration and fanciful
ornamentation is perhaps more strongly felt by the casual
observer. The stilted arches and elaborate Franciscan
"frieze," the arabesques on the fachada and altars, and the
colored dados and other parts of the walls in imitation
of glazed tile, breathe his influence. At one time the
ornamental gable of the fachada was colored to represent
tile work, and, it may be inferred, the great dome also
was a mass of ghttering color. This influence was due
to the native Mexican love of coloring and the compli
cated carving of the Aztec, which affected to a marked
degree the architecture of the Spanish conquerors.
The cruciform plan is of Eastern influence, but much of
the arrangement and placement of rooms is after the Chris
tian basilica. Its monolithic form, barrel-vaults and high
domes carried on pendentives may unmistakably be traced
to the Eastern Church. The Byzantines cared httle about
the exterior of their churches; true to Eastern fashion,
the inside was to them the sole object of interest. Hence,
what httle Byzantine influence we may expect to find
in San Xavier wiU evidently be more strongly character
ized in the interior decorations. And so we find ghtter of
gold and riot of color; carved statues and figures clothed
in silk and linen; aU somewhat bizarre and superfluous.
Every conceivable wall space bears decoration, and fres
coes take the place of the wonderful mosaics of the East.

San Xavier del Bac. Detail of Main Altar.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 105
The frescoes possess real merit. They were done, tra
dition says, by an artistic monk of the college of Queretero,
who was a pupil of Francisco Eduardo de Tresfuerras,
the " Michael Angelo of Mexico." The subjects are treated
in a conventional manner and show the artist to have been
well acquainted with many of the great European master
pieces. The smaller decorations were done by assistants
and have a primitive appearance that is not altogether
distasteful. The drawing on the whole resembles that of
Fra Angelico, but the coloring has the finesse of a Botti
celli. The portraits of saints, figures of angels and Biblical
incidents are sometimes amusingly naive. For instance,
the Virgin, who is represented as presenting St. Dominic
with the Rosary, resembles more a lady of Queen Elizabeth's
court; and again, Christ's home is a large two story house
situated on an estate beside the sea, a house the poor car
penter of Galilee could hardly have expected to inhabit
even if such were then constructed. The faces are devoid
of expression and bear the same unhappy look character
istic of the wooden statues. All is touched by a childish
simplicity which, perhaps, has a subtle meaning after all.
They were intended for the Indian, and his first lessons of
Christianity were through art; he was taught the terrible
end of sinners by their agonized expression in seas of flames;
and he was shown the serenity of angels on the wooded
banks of quiet waters.
Behind the mere ornamentation lies a significant meaning.
Everything seems to be symbolic; the symbols alone in
connection with San Xavier would justify some intensive
study. The shell plays an important part, signifying pil
grimage and, sometimes, baptism. Over the apse is a
huge shell springing from the top of the altar, and also

106 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
above the front entrance is a shell. The two large bunches
of grapes on the fachada, no doubt, refer to "the land of
plenty," bearing out Father Kino's letter describing the
discovered paradise. On the main altar appear stalks of
wheat and clusters of grapes, signifying the body and blood
of Christ. "And He took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it,
and gave unto them, saying:
'This is my body, which is given for you.'
'This cup is the new testament in my blood, which
is shed for you.'" Luke XXII., 19, 20.
The two lions on either side of the altar and their con
ventional form used throughout the structure are reminis
cent of the escutcheon of Castile and Leon.
The interesting Franciscan "frieze" contains, besides
the knotted cord (part of the Franciscan dress), the bells
and pomegranate, recalling the scriptural text :
"And beneath, upon the hem of it, [the priests'
garment], thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and
of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof.
"A golden bell and a pomegranate upon the hem of the
robe around about.
"And it shall be upon Aaron to minister, and his
sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto thy holy
place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he
die not." Exodus XXVIII., 33, 34, 35.
The pomegranate is symbolical of spiritual fruitfulness
and reproduction.
The coat-of-arms of the Franciscan Order over the en-

San Xavier del Bac. Ornamental Gable about Main Entrance.

108 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
trance has been mentioned and many monograms occur
throughout, of no great interest. Even the "star" window
used in the drum over the crossing has some historical
and artistic interest. It is said that when the Moors were
employing their Christian subjects to carry out their archi
tectural ideas, the latter cleverly incorporated the form of
the cross in the decoration whenever possible, so that when
forced to look towards Mecca they would behold the cross.
The window is seen to be designed upon the axis of a cross.
San Xavier is interesting from any angle of observation.
It has inspired artistic expression from men of many arts.
Even to the casual observer, though a thing of wondrous
beauty, it presents an anomaly, a paradox. It will not
always be with us. Only three large missions are in use
today, and time will soon claim them as it has the others.
San Xavier is weakening and the great arches are badly
cracked. Buttresses will be added but to no avaU, and
graduaUy the greatest of all missions wiU be a thing of the
past. Construction.
Every mission of any size and architectural importance
usuaUy had its special group of architects and buUders, of
wbich the community was very proud. In fact, there
existed a sort of good-natured rivalry among the several
missions of a "chain" in proving their artistic ability with
the scant material at hand. The architect with them was
the real apxirkicTuv of old and not merely the designer — he
was both artist and builder, and the padres, to whom feU
the task, usually showed their rare ability and thorough
training. One is apt to judge the architectural and structural
qualities of the missions by the work being done today.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. Ill
We often find the padres spoken of as uneducated men,
who knew no better than to leave great blank walls of sur
prising thickness and with ornamentation of mud! True,
their buildings are simple; there is little play of stress against
stress as seen in the elaborate system of flying buttresses
in a Gothic cathedral, which many people beheve to be
the only church architecture. But it must be borne in
mind that the padres were from Spain, where, of aU coun
tries, Gothic had the least hold. For that matter, neither
do we find traces to any marked degree of the Norman,
Classic or even Renaissance, save a few suggestions of the
latter in ornamentation. Such was not the architecture
of Spain, and besides, the padres did not have huge stones
or timber of sufficient size to carry out whatever other
ideas they may have had. They simply had the adobe
beneath their feet, small stones from the distant moun
tains, and trees to be feUed with a few crude tools.
Their Indian workmen, though wilhng enough, knew
nothing of building save putting up a few sticks in the ground
and fastening a cover over to keep off the rays of the sun.
And thus the padres found themselves handicapped and
were helpless to do other than perpetuate in the crudest
way the style best fitted to the hmitations, and one with
wliich they were to some extent famihar. Without a
doubt, their artistic soul shrank when they viewed these
simple churches and thought of the grandeur and beauty
of the originals across the water.
From aU accounts, we may reason they had one thousand
Indian men at their disposal, but these, no doubt, proved
as much hindrance as help. We may take it for granted
that skiUed workmen were present beside the padres them
selves. Tradition of the Gaona brothers and the name

112 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
of Pedro Borjorques have been referred to, though it is
not known whether they were in any way connected with
the Order. Then, the padres themselves were artisans
and for the most part clever artists. We may, therefore,
imagine a group of well-educated men assisted by Indians
as the builders of the present church. It is said the build
ing of it required fourteen years.
The adobe was dug and made into bricks, sometimes
burned in kilns on the spot. Although no traces remain
at San Xavier, the kilns may still be seen at Tumacacori,.
though nothing more than holes in the ground.
Adobe is a heavy, plastic clay found in abundance in
the Southwest and Mexico, and has been used from the
earhest times as a building material. The word is prob
ably of Arabian origin, but appears in the Mexican-Spanish
vernacular as the verb adobar, to plaster; as the noun
adobe, it is apphed to the clay and the formed brick. Before
the Spanish Conquest, the brick was made simply by mixing
the clay with water, or at times with cactus juice. The
adobes of the Spaniards are very similar except that they
are strengthened by straw or grass, or even smaU twigs.
They are laid in adobe mortar and the waUs usuaUy plas
tered with hme plaster, although the natives used adobe-
for this purpose also. The adobes used in San Xavier
are of a conventional size, which seems always to have
existed, namely, 5" x 10" x 20".
The adobe when burned was found to make a very satis
factory brick, though necessarily made smaUer, those of"
San Xavier measuring about 2" x 8" x 12". The finished
brick is of a vermihon color and its exceUent quality is.
vouched for in the age of San Xavier as contrasted with
the ruin and disappearance of the majority of missions,.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 113
nearly all of later date. The Cahfornia missions, of which
not more than two may be said to be weU preserved, namely,
San Gabriel and Santa Barbara, are for the most part stone,
found near at hand. Yet they have gone, while San Xavier
has stood. Perhaps "it's the climate!" Nevertheless,
the Gaona brothers must be given credit as brickmakers
the equal of even their progenitors.
The walls are quite straight and the angles surprisingly
accurate. Considering two walls in their entirety rather
than working immediately at their intersection, we find
the angle is invariably within a minute of ninety degrees. As
a matter of fact, so great is the accuracy found in the general
construction that the plans have been drawn with T-square
and triangles as one would those of any modern building.
Missions as a rule are not well laid out; most of them are
far from it. But San Xavier is an exception and a mission
of missions.
The body of the church is made altogether of burned
brick, even the upper floors and roof, including the dome.
The structure is of sohd brick, with a paucity of wood that
is surprising. Only the doors with their frames, and the
spindles before the windows, along with the three front
balconies and some interior details may claim to have been
part of the almost fabulous forest which once stood about.
The roof is built in the form of six low vaults about the
large drum over the crossing. The great dome is one of
the very noteworthy features, and is scarcely surpassed
even today in workmanship. It is constructed wholly of
brick and laid up without centerings. It seems incredible
that such a masterpiece should have been built by the simple
artisans, especiaUy when one comes upon it unawares
in the heart of the desert.

114

MISSION ARCHITECTURE.

The foundation is of boulders imbedded in a sort of
cement mixture and averages two feet above the grade,
starting, perhaps, five feet below the surface of the ground.
The stones vary from three inches to twelve in diameter
and were brought from the mountains, a distance of twenty
miles or so. * This task was usually assigned to the women,

San Xavieb del Bac. Dome and Drum.
Note the Moorish windows and segmental domes of the roof.
who carried the stones on their heads and never let them
once touch the ground on their way to their destination —
otherwise, the spell was broken and they would leave
them and return for more. Because of the distance to the
mountains, stone was used for the foundations only.
The ground floor is at different levels in the various

San Jose de Tumacacori, looking towards the entrance, showing the
Choir Loft.

116 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
rooms, due to the structure being built on a shght hill,
and the floors of the rooms afterwards leveled or filled.
The floor of the church was originally made of flagstones,
some of which are stiU preserved in the apse. At the res
toration, wooden floors were laid throughout, but still
at different levels.
The roof with the huge dome and also the choir loft
are carried completely by arches. It has always been a
question just how the arches were constructed. The
plaster has remained intact, so that it is impossible to
study the brick work directly, but we may reason that the
arches are similar to those which we see in ruin at Tuma
cacori. The latter mission was copied in a marked degree
from San Xavier and it is even thought that its brick work
was done by the Gaona brothers. A large stone is used
for the keystone and the bricks arched about it. In a
few. missions we find the smaller arches constructed by
laying the bricks parallel and projecting one over the other
until the two sides meet at the center. Trestles were,
no doubt, built up within the church in the construction
of the arches, as we may judge from the mention of the
many trees in Kino's letter; though, of course, they have
nearly all disappeared today. The story of the Pantheon
of Rome has been cleverly applied to San Xavier in ac
counting for the height attained in building the dome and
arches. Baghoni tells us how the interior of the church
was filled with earth in order to reach the necessary height
to build the dome. Coins had been secretly hidden in
the earth and when the church was declared finished, the
fact of the hidden coins was made known and the dihgent
Italians assiduously set to work to find the coins and
thus removed the earth from the interior of the church.

Construction op Arches, San Jose de Tumacacori, looking towards
the Apse.

118 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
The story is, however, a little far fetched in its application
to San Xavier. Had the place been filled with gold the
Indian would not have taken the trouble to remove it.
The pendentives and groins are all of brick, though at
Tumacacori we find a backing of timber laid across the
corner of the two adjoining walls.
The stairs in the towers wind about in the walls and they
too are of brick. The ceiling above constantly rises to
the height of a man and is constructed of speciaUy formed
bricks to aUow for the individual's head. No bricks appear
to have been cut or fashioned after the burning was com
pleted. In special cases, they were all formed first in the
various shapes, often really complex, and then burned
in the kilns.
The plaster was allowed to "ripen" in large pits dug for
the purpose, so says tradition, and the Gaona brothers,
in the meantime, would work on San Jose de Tumacacori
until called back to San Xavier.
One should note that the doors in the church-proper
are the originals and are still hung on their heavy iron
hinges and lock with the same huge locks and latches,
exactly as when the padres left them. They are fashioned
by hand from the tough mesquite wood, and held together
by long iron nails. Though they have faced all kinds of
weather, they seem none the worse for it. They are of a
characteristic design, low and narrow, with heavy stiles
and rails enclosing small panels. To some extent, this
type of door was determined by the usual limited size of
the mesquite tree.
Nearly all of the missions have long since lost their
doors and other wood-work. San Gabriel near Los Angeles,
for instance, jealously guards an old door (which, by the

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 119
way, turns on iron pivots instead of hinges) and a single
window showing a few remaining spindles. San Xavier
alone is fortunate in retaining today most of its wood-work.
The pulpit is a noteworthy object and displays some
clever hand carving, considering the handicaps under
which it was made. It is substantially constructed of
pine and put together with wooden pegs. The cabinets
in the baptistry and sacristy have mesquite doors, the
former showing evidences of a heavy dark brown glue.
A strip of mesquite wood is embedded on the edge of each
tread of the stairs to prevent the wearing away of the brick,
and the purpose has been remarkably served.
With respect to the metal work, httle can be said. For
the most part it is unquestionably brought from Mexico,
especiaUy the bells. Little use of it has been made other
wise, save as nails, hinges and locks, all of which are rather
crude and hand-made. The latch on the side door of the
nave shows some simple engraving.
Practically all of the ornamentation is made upon the
specially formed bricks. In other words, there is no false
work; everything is solid. The main decorative feature
of the interior, namely, the Franciscan "frieze," projects
on the average ten inches from the surface of the wall,
and is wholly of brick, none of which has been cut. The
method followed was very similar to the method employed
today in the setting of terra-cotta.
The altars are brick with the smaller arabesques done
in plaster; a few parts are of wood such as the figures,
candle sticks, and small cabinets.
The ornamental feature of the fachada is whoUy of brick
and plaster, and at one time was highly colored to repre
sent glazed tile. The fantastic columns, so prevalent in

120 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
Franciscan architecture, have a small wooden core for
re-enforcement. The dormitory wing has been restored again and again
until it hardly compares with the early drawings. This
is accounted for by its being built entirely of adobe. The
windows and doors, however, have always remained in the
same relative positions, although we have seen that they
were arched at one time. The two original cloisters are
also of adobe and quite unsymmetrical, which adds greatly
to their charm.
The roof over the dormitory wing and loggias is of great
interest, as it has really never been disturbed, save by the
addition of a super-roof of tin which serves as its protection.
Most of the roofs of the missions have either disappeared
in the Indian raids, from the fire which he always applied,
or have fallen in through decay. The very factor of safety
in the roof at San Xavier is its materials of construction, —
mesquite and ocotiUa — on which time leaves little mark.
The mesquite timbers, about six inches in diameter, are
used for beams, and across them are laid the stalks of the
ocotiUa. Over this form was placed soft adobe mixed
with leaves and reeds, which filled all cracks and dried,
forming a solid re-inforced roof. Over this, no doubt, some
sort of tile was placed similar to the red clay tile found in
the Cahfornia missions.
The wall about the fachada and mortuary chapel was of
stone foundation and burned brick, and plastered to corre
spond with the church. It fell gradually and at the restora
tion was rebuilt, but far more elaborately. The wall at the
rear of the buildings was constructed in much the same
way, though perhaps more substantial, because of its de
fensive character.

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC.

121

The mortuary chapel is constructed wholly of burned
brick upon a stone foundation, and plastered. At the
restoration it was in a ruinous state and the refuge of hun
dreds of bats, a fact which still remains fresh in the minds
of the old residents who knew the place as children. At
that time, the deserted church with its large echoing rooms
filled with debris and the haunts of bats, made a lasting
impression on their young minds.
The modern work, which consists of the north dormitory
wing and the walls at the front and rear, is very well done
and is in thorough keeping with the general feeling of the
place. Brick and adobe were used in their proper place,
so that one does not feel that they were "tacked on." In
fact, it is a puzzle to determine just where the new work
begins.

^. wi

An Indian Home in the Desert.

Plan Ohowing VAVLTiNq^AND nxTvets

¦DOEMITOEY-WINQ

A COMPLETE LIST OF THE MISSIONS IN THE
SOUTHWEST.
In compiling the hst of missions, I have consulted Jesse
S. Hildrup's work on "The Missions of Cahfornia and the
Old Southwest." The Missions of Lower California.
From 1683 for nearly one hundred years the Jesuits
labored successfully in this field, in spite of the degraded
tribes of Indians and wastes of country. In 1768 the
Franciscans took the field and they, in turn, were replaced
by the Dominicans in 1772.
Name- Location ;
Loretto  ....,¦  On a small bay near Carmen.
La Paz. .  One hundred miles south of Lor
etto.
San Jose de Comondu . . . . Sixty miles from Loretto
San PuRf simA Concepcion . . On Pacific coast one hundred
miles west of Mulege.
San Guadalupe  At Huashupi. • ;
Dolores  Near La Paz.
Santa Rosa  On Bay of Palms.
San Ignacio  Near Kada Kaaman.
San Jose del Cabo  At Cape St. Lucas.
Santa Gertrude.  North of San Ignacio.
St. Francis Borgia  At Adac. . ;, ;
Santa Maria (1767)  On thirty-first parallel of latitude,
twenty-five miles west of the Gulf.
125

126

MISSION ARCHITECTURE.

The Missions of Texas.
The Franciscans labored almost exclusively in this region.
Name Date of Founding. Location.
Our Lady of Loretto  1621 On Matagorda Bay.
La Trinidad  1691 On the Trinity river
near town of Alabama
— removed to Nacog
doches.
San Francisco Solano  1700 On the Rio Grande
("The Alamo" — not a mis- river and after three
sion in the strict sense of the moves settled in San
word.) Antonio.
Our Lady de los Dolores .1715 (?) On the Aco Bayou,
near San Agustine.
Our Lady of Nacogdoches . . 1716 At Nacogdoches.
Our Lady of Orgnizacco. . . .1716 On the San Jacinto
river.
San Jose de Aguayo  1720 On the Rio Grande
river, about four miles
below San Antonio.
Adaes  1718 (?) On the Sabine river,
(Our Lady of the Pillar.) near Natchitoches (?).
La Bahia  1718 At Goliad.
(Del Espiritu Santo.)
San Fernando  1730 (?) San Antonio.
(Not a mission.)
Concepcion La Purisima de
AcuSa  1731 (?)
San Francisco de la Espada. 1731 On Medina river, re
moved to San Antonio.
San Juan Capistrano  1732 On Rio Grande river,
six miles below San
Antonio.

COMPLETE LIST OF THE MISSIONS. 127
San Saba  1734 In Menard County.
San Antonio de Bexar . . . . (?) (?)
Our Lady of Guadalupe ....(?) Victory County (Mis
sion Valley).
Many extensive ruins in the valley bear note of obscure
missions. The Missions of New Mexico.
The Jesuits labored faithfully in this region until 1680,
when the Zuni Indians revolted against the tyranny of
the Spanish government. AU the padres, along with the
settlers, were massacred and the missions destroyed.
A few unsuccessful attempts were made later to reclaim the
field. Name. Location.
Quarai (1630)  Torrance.
Seneca (San Antonio) (1630) .... Piros nation.
Jemez (1630)  Sandoval.
Socorra  Above Semern.
Alamillo (Santa Ana)  Thirty-one miles above So
corra.
Sevilleta (San Antonio)  Tiguas nation
Sandia (San Francisco)  Tiguas nation.
Puray or Purnay (San Barto-
lome)  Eleven miles from Sandia
(Alameda).
Santo Domingo  Above San Felipe.
Santa Fe Villa (1609)  Eighty-one miles from San
Domingo.
Tesuque (San Lorenzo)  Twenty-one miles from Santa
Fe.
Nambe (San Francisco)  Thirty-one miles east of
Tesuque.

128 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
Acoma (1630)  On Rock of Acoma near
Valencia.
(The only mission surviving the uprising of 1680.)
San Ildefonso (1696)  Near Santa Fe.
Santa Clara  Visita of Ildefonso.
San Juan de los Cabelleros . . Visita of Ildefonso.
San Felipe (1700)  Between Lamy and Albu
querque.
Taos (1711). Missions and Visitas in Arizona.
Jesuit Period (1690-1768).
It is impossible to arrange a complete list of the missions
and their visitas in the Jesuit Period, as no exact record
was kept. Father Kino placed on his map the names of
many Christian settlements which ceased to exist as such,
immediately after his departure. From the manuscripts
and legends, along with the remains of the missions them
selves, the foUowing hst can be formed. Just which ones
were ranked as missions cannot be definitely determined.
Name. Location.
San Gabriel de Guevavi (1692) ? . . . . Northeast of Nogales.
San Jose de Tumacacori (1697) ? . . . . Two miles south of Tu
bac.
San Xavier del Bac (1700)  Nine miles south of
Tucson.
San Luis de Bocoanco  Near Tumacacori.
San Cayetano de Calabazas (1694).
Santa Gertrudes de Tuhac  Tubac.
San Augustine del Oyaut (1699). . .North of Tucson.
San Cosme del Tucson  Across Santa Cruz river
and to south of present
city of Tucson.

COMPLETE LIST OF THE MISSIONS. 129
San Serafin.
San Francisco.
Santa Ana.
Arivaca. Santa Clara  Southwest from Tucson.
Santa Catarina .  Opposite Picacho Peak.
Marvi  Zuni Country, northern
Arizona.
Mahauve  Zuni Country, northern
Arizona.
San Bernardino del Awatabi  Zuni country, northern
Arizona.
Oraibi  Zuni country, northern
Arizona.
Mashongamabi  Zuni country, northern
Arizona.
Franciscan Period (1768-1826).
The information regarding the missions in this period
is given in the "Estado Actual de las Missiones — ," by
Fray Antonio de los Reyes, in which he gives the descrip
tion and condition of the eight missions in Pimeria Alta
taken over by the Franciscans. Only two missions of the
eight were in what is now Arizona; however, the complete
list wiU be given with their visitas, for they should be con
sidered as a group.* In Arizona.
I. Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi. (Name changed from
San Gabriel.)
San Cayetano de Calabazas.
San Jose de Tumacacori.
San Miguel de Sonoitac.
Santa Gertrudes de Tubac.
* The visitas are indented.

130 MISSION ARCHITECTURE.
II. San Xavier del Bac. San Jose del Tucson (also Escala
Pura — probably San Cosme).
In Sonora.
III. Santa Maria de Suamca.
IV. San Ignacio de Caburica.
San Jose de Himuris.
V. Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores del Saric.
Santa Maria Magdalena.
San Jos6 de Aquimuri.
VI. San Pedro y San Pablo Tubutama.
Santa Teresa.
VII. San Francisco de Ati.
San Antonio de Aquitoa.
VIII. Purisima Concepcion de Caborca.
San Antonio del Pitiquin.
San Juan del Bisanig.
The Missions of California (Alta).
The Franciscans labored exclusively in this field.
Name Date of Founding. Location.
San Diego  1769 San Diego Canon.
San Carlos Borremeo  1770 Monterey.
San Antonio de Padua  1771 Los Robles Valley.
San Gabriel  1771 Near Los Angeles.
San Luis Obispo de Tolosa . . 1772 On the coast, about one
hundred and twenty
miles south of the Gulf
of Monterey.
San Francisco de Asis  1776 On the Bay of San Fran
cisco.
San Juan Capistrano  1776 Sixty-five miles south of
Los Angeles.
Santa Clara  1777 Near San Jose.
San Buenaventura  1782 Thirty miles southeast
of Santa Barbara.

COMPLETE LIST OF THE MISSIONS. 131
Name. Date of Founding. Location.
Santa Barbara  1782 Santa Barbara.
La Purisima Concepcion  1787 On the Santa Inez river.
Santa Cruz  1791 On the Bay of Montereyj
La Soledad  1791 Between the Missions of
San Antonio de Padua
and Santa Clara.
San Jose  1797 San Jose.
San Juan Bautista  1797 San Benito.
San Miguel  1797 One hundred and twenty
miles north of Santa Bar
bara.
San Fernando Rey
(Rey de Espagna)  1797 North of Los Angeles,
enclosed by San Fernan
do and Cuyhengo ranges.
San Luis (Rey de Francia) . . . 1798 Oceanside.
San Jose de Guadalupe . . . 1797 Twenty miles northeast
of San Jos6.
Santa Inez  1804 About forty miles north
east of Santa Barbara.
San Rafael, Archangel . . . . 1817 North side of San Fran
cisco Bay.
Chapels
San Antonio de Pala  1816 Visita of San Luis Rey.
San Francisco Solano  1824
San Miguel  1803 Visita of Santa Barbara.
San Miguelito  1809 Visita of San Luis Obispo.
Santa Isarel  1822 Visita of San Diego.
Santo Domingo Visita of San Diego.
Los Angeles  1822
San Bernardino (Politana) Visita of San Gabriel.
Ruins of an obscure chapel exist in the San Margarita
Valley, in San Luis Obispo County.

A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE MORE IMPORTANT
MANUSCRIPTS AND BOOKS PERTAINING
TO THE SUBJECT.
Manuscripts
Alegre. "Historia de la Compania Jesus." Mex., 1841.
Arricivita. "Corona Serafica del Collegio de Santa Cruz de Queretaro."
A history of the missions in Pimeria Alta during the adminis
tration of the Franciscan Fathers.
Benavides, Alonzo de.
"Memorial que Fray Ivan de Santandes de la orden de San
Francisco, comissario general de Indias, presenta a la
Magestad catolica del rey Don Felipe Quarto nuestro
senor. Hecho por el padre fray Alonzo de Benavides."
En Madrid en la Imprenta real. Ano M. DC. xxx (p. [79]
183). Tr. into English by Mrs. Edward E. Ayer, Chicago, Priv.
print. [R. R. Donnelley and Sons Company] 1916. The
memorial of Fray Alonzo de Benavides (1630) dealing with
the Franciscans in New Mexico about 1630.
Garces, Francisco.
"Diario y derrotero que siguio el M. R. P. Fr. Francisco
Garces en su viaje hecho desde Octubre de 1775 hasta 17 de
Septiembre de 1776." Printed in. 1854 in 2nd ser., v. 1
pp. 225-374) of "Documentos para la historia de Mexico."
Translated into Enghsh from an official contemporaneous
copy of the original Spanish manuscript. . . . New York,
F. P. Harper, 1900.
The Diary and Itinerary of Francisco Garces in his
travels through Sonora, Arizona, and California, 1775-1776.
132

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 133
Kino, Ensebio.
"Favores Celestiales de Jesus y de Maria SSma y del Gloriosis-
r simo Apostol de las Yndias ..." parte V- (Manuscript
in the Archivo General y Publico, Mexico, Section de
Misiones, vol. 27.)
A history by Father Kino of his work in Pimeria Alta
from 1687-1710. It was used by early Jesuit historians,
especially Ortega, and discovered recently by Dr. Herbert
E. Bolton of the University of Cahfornia. (See under the
following fist of "Books," "Father Kino's, Lost History,
its Discovery and its Value," and "Spanish Exploration in
, the Southwest," both by Dr. Herbert E. Bolton.)
Manje., "Luz de Tierra Incognita," libro II. Printed in Hist. Doc.
of Mex. cuarto serie, tomo I., Mex., 1856).
Ortega, Francisco de.
"Apostolicos Afanes de la Compania de Jesus" Barcelona,
754 Mex., 1887.
Reyes, Antonio de los.
"Del Estado Actual de las Missiones que en la Gubernacion
de Sonora Administian los Padres del Colegio de Propaganda
Fide de la Santa Cruz de Queretaro." 1772.
A report of one of the Sonora missionaries on the condition
of the missions in Pimeria Alta and Bajain charge of the
Franciscans. See under following list of "Books," "Franciscans in
Arizona" by Fr. Zephyrin Engelhardt.)
Venegas (Burriel).
"Noticia de la Calif." Madrid, 1757.
"Rudo Ensayo," 1672.
A geographical description of Pimeria Alta, deahng also with
the missions; written by a Jesuit Father.

134 MISSION ARCHITECTURE. Books
Bancroft, Hubert Howe.
"The works of Hubert Howe Bancroft" in 39 vols. San
Francisco, A. L. Bancroft and Co., 1882-90. Vols. 9-24
deal with Southwestern History.
Bolton, Herbert E.
"Father Kino's Lost History, its Discovery, and its Value."
In "Papers" of the Bibliographical Society of America;
VI. (10-13).
"Spanish Exploration in the Southwest." New York, Chas.
Scribner's Sons, 1916.
Contains translations of original narratives of the early
history of the Southwest, with notes by the author. Pp.
430-432, List of Father Kino's writings available to scholars.
Pp. 433-462, Partial translation of Father Kino's "lost"
manuscript.
Burke, John G.
"On the Border with Crook." New York, Chas-. Scribner's
Sons, 1896.
Browne, J. Ross.
"Adventures in the Apache Country." New York, Harper
Bros., 1869.
Engelhardt, Zephyrin.
"Franciscans in Arizona." Harbor Springs, Mich., Holy
Childhood Indian School, 1899.
A History of the work among the missions in Arizona,
and description of the missions in 1772. Contains trans
lation of "Del Estado Actual de las Misiones."
"Missions and Missionaries of California." Harbor Springs,
Mich., Holy Childhood Indian School, 1899.
"Franciscans in New Mexico."
Hinton, Richard J.
"Handbook to Arizona." New York, Payot, Upham and
Co., 1878.

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 135
Salpointe, J. B.
"Soldiers of the Cross." Banning, Calif., St. Boniface's
Industrial School, 1898.
Saunders, Charles Francis.
"Franciscans in California." Boston and New York, Hough
ton, Mifflin Company, 1915.
Winship, George Parker.
The Coronado Expedition, 1540-1542.
"Fourteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to
the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1892-93,"
By J. W. Powell, Director. . . . Washington, Gov. Printing
Office, 1892.