San Francisco de Assisi Mission, New Mexico

Front of the mission

It’s been several years since I visited Taos, New Mexico, but when I do, one place in particular draws my attention, the San Francisco de Assisi Mission. Situated south of Taos and a few feet back from the curb, the mission is a small, adobe building rich with history. Built between 1772 and 1816, every time I enter, I feel at peace.  

Rear of the mission

During the 18^th century, Spanish and Mexican civilian families moved from Taos Pueblo to Ranchos de Taos to farm. To protect themselves from Comanche raids, they built their homes and work buildings out of adobe and situated them close together in a U-shape around a plaza, which became known as San Francisco Plaza. Steadfast in their Catholic religion, they founded the San Francisco de Assisi Mission, with the Franciscans overseeing the building of the church inside the u shape. Construction of the mission was completed in 1816, featuring two front facing bell towers with three white crosses adorning the towers and entryway. Four beehive shaped buttresses support the back of the church and two buttresses in front of each bell tower support the front of the church. Thick adobe walls surround the church, the cemetery, and the forecourt.

Original altar

San Francisco de Assisi Mission is the only original church to remain intact in the Taos area, and has been photographed, drawn, and painted by several well-known artists, including Georgia O’Keefe and Ansel Adams. Through the years, the mission has undergone several restorations, most notably in 1967 when all of the ceiling vigas and doors were replaced with reproductions. Every June, parishioners and the community re-plaster the adobe in a project titled The Enjarre, or mudding of the church.

After the altar was repainted

The interior artwork of the church is breathtaking, with the altar decorated in original Spanish woodwork and the wall behind the altar having been repainted in 1981. The paintings behind the altar are believed to be oil paintings brought to the mission from the Archdiocese of Mexico by way of Spain some 200 years ago. Depictions of the 14 Stations of the Cross adorn the side walls of the chapel. There is a balcony at the back of the church, but is roped off to visitors. Research led me to discover the Santa Fe Desert Chorale has held concerts in the church, but the author of the article does not know if the choir sang from the balcony, as he had never attended one of their concerts.

Whether you’re a history buff or a tourist, of religious beliefs or not, if your travels take you to Taos, the San Francisco de Assisi Mission is one place you don’t want to miss. 

The balcony

The Poinsettia

courtesy of www.bloom.uk.com

The Poinsettia is a native Mexican plant. Its origins trace back to present day Taxco. The poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, Willd, is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family and is defined as a female flower, without petals and usually without sepals, surrounded by individual male flowers enclosed in a cup-shaped structure called a cyathium. The Euphorbia genus contains 700-1000 species. The Aztecs in central Mexico cultivated the plant and used the colorful leaves, known as bracts, to make a reddish-purple dye for clothes and makeup. The Poinsettia’s milky sap was made into a medicine to treat fevers. 

 

Joel Roberts Poinsettcourtesy of http://www.apsnet.org

Joel Roberts Poinsett is credited as the first American to bring the plant to the United States. A botanist from Greenville, South Carolina, Poinsett was also the first United States Ambassador to Mexico. Best remembered as the founder of the Smithsonian Institute, Poinsett traveled to the Taxco area, discovered the colorful plants growing on adjacent hillsides and had some of them shipped to his home, where he grew them in his greenhouse. From there, he gifted some of the plants to his friends and also sent some to botanical gardens and to fellow botanist John Bartram in Philadelphia. Bartram sent the plant to his friend Robert Buist. Buist was a plants-man from Pennsylvania and thought to be the first person to sell the Poinsettia under its original name. Legend has it the Euphorbia pulcherrima, Willd, became known as the Poinsettia in the 1830’s, after Joel Robert Poinsett. 

 

courtesy of www.orthodoxytoday.org

How did the Poinsettia become known as the Christmas plant? The Aztecs prized the poinsettia and believed it to be a symbol of purity. In the 17^th century, Franciscan monks in Mexico incorporated the flower into their Fiesta of Santa Pesbre; a nativity procession. This is the first time the Poinsettia was associated with Christmas, leading Mexico’s Christians to adopt the plant as their Christmas Eve flower. The star-shaped bracts symbolize the Star of Bethlehem. The red leaves represent Christ’s blood and the white leaves symbolize his purity. 

 

courtesy of www.distinctive-decor.com

Once the monks included the Poinsettia in their nativity procession, a few legends sprang up as to why and how the plant became associated with Christmas. One is the tale of poor, young Pepita who was upset because she did not have a gift to give to the baby Jesus at Christmas Eve mass. As she made her way to the church, her cousin tried to cheer her up. Pedro told Pepita that even the smallest gift presented to Jesus in love would make the Christ child happy. Pepita picked some weeds and placed them beside the manger. Before everyone’s eyes, the weeds magically transformed into beautiful red flowers. Another tale says it was an angel who told Pepita to pick the weeds and bring them to the church. Regardless, the parishioners swore they’d witnessed a miracle, and from that evening on, the flowers became known as Flores de Noche Buena; Flowers of the Holy Night. 

 

Merry Christmas Everyone! I wish you and your family a joyous holiday season. Julie

San Xavier del Bac Mission

Tucson

My first and only time to visit Tucson happened about 17 years ago. Mikie, a long-time friend, resides in the desert city and spent three days playing tour guide for the hubby and me.  He took us to Sabino Canyon, across the border into Nogales, Mexico and introduced me to the ‘used bookstore’. I could have spent the whole day in that store, but with my arms full, an hour sufficed. I fell in love with Tucson and the surrounding area that long weekend. The mountains and desert are beautiful, but what really caught my eye was the San Xavier del Bac Mission.

San Xavier del Bac Mission is a Catholic mission located south of Tucson. Father Eusebio Kino founded the mission in 1692 when Southern Arizona was a part of New Spain. Construction of the present day church began in 1783 after Franciscan missionary Father Juan Bautista Velderran borrowed 7,000 pesos from a Sonoran rancher. Ignacio Gaona was hired as the architect, and building was completed in 1797. With the Mexican independence, the mission became part of Mexico in 1821 and then became part of the United States in 1854 under the Gadsen Purchase. San Xavier was part of the Santa Fe Diocese and later incorporated into the Tucson Diocese when Tucson came into its own existence in 1866.   

San Xavier del Bac Mission

The mission is constructed of low-fire clay brick, stone, and lime mortar and roofed with masonry vaults. In 1887, an earthquake knocked down the mortuary wall and damaged other areas of the church. Under the guidance of Bishop Henry Granjon, repairs to the church began in 1905. Further restoration had to be done after a lightning strike to the West Tower lantern in 1939.

While the exterior of San Xavier is grand, the interior is stunning. Artwork and sculptures adorn every available space, including the ceiling. After Father Velderrain died, Father Juan Abutista Llorens continued Father Valderrain’s work. He oversaw the painting of the murals and the commissioning of religious sculptures in Old Mexico guild shops brought to the mission on donkeys. Not much is known about the crafting of the building or the artists who painted the murals, except the mission was built by the O’odham tribe and no less than three artists painted the murals.

Interior of San Xavier

Today, San Xavier is a National Historical Landmark and also known as The White Dove of the Desert. Thousands of people visit the tranquil grounds each year to learn about its history. The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity live in the convent and teach at the school opened by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1872. Worship services are held on a regular basis.       

Exterior of San Xavier