Sunday, August 16, 2015

Back to Tucson: San Xavier del Bac

February 10, 2015 (Written Aug. 16th--What kind of blogger am I?!)

Heading out from Gibert Ray campground, we began the day with a pretty good breakfast at Theresa's Mosaic Cafe. The Huevos Rancheros were very good. Full of good food, we drove to...

San Xavier del Bac


Known as the White Dove of the Desert, San Xavier del Bac is a Catholic mission founded in 1783 by Father Kino, and "widely considered to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States." Read about it here. Seemed like a good opportunity for photography.


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Ready to shoot...
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Lovely Mission...
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Lovely companion...


Mission interior:


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Just inside the entrance door, facing the front and the apse.
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Ceiling detail
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Detailed frescoes and statues on the wall to the right of the apse.
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A little closer...
Detail of statue on the left in previous photo
Apse with altar


 The body of St. Francis (I think).

A native convert??


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Looking toward the entrance door, and away from main altar.
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In the Mission courtyard beside the church.
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Exterior architectural detail.
While I took photos, Leah took the Mission tour. From her journal: "I went on the tour and learned that 'Baroque' meant balanced. The lady who led the tour kept on forgetting really obvious things--must have been how I sometimes was when teaching--but she was worse."

We ended the day with a fabulous dinner on the patio at Poca Cosa in downtown Tucson. This place is listed as having the best food in the city by many ranking sites. And its little sister, Little Poca Cosa, which serves only breakfast and lunch, is rated just as highly, and is just as good, in my opinion. It's a real dining experience! The two restaurants are owned and operated by two sisters, one at each restaurant. Sandra, at Little Poca Cosa, is a real character. Both are worth a visit if you're in downtown Tucson.