A Sence of Mission: Historic Churches of the Southwest

Book Overview

From the haunting ruins of San Jose de los Jemez to the perfectly preserved San Jose de Gracia, the early churches of Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Southern California are eloquent testimony to the creative and religious lives of the Spanish and Native American communities that founded them. In luminous color photographs and an informative, straightforward text, this elegant guide offers a detailed look at the history, architecture, religious significance, and folk-art decor of 29 of the Southwest's most beautiful landmark missions. Including hand-drawn maps and complete visitor information, A Sense of Mission pays rich and vivid tribute to some of America's most extraordinary monuments.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811804046
• ISBN13: 9780811804042
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 1.0" x 1.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Museum of Mission Photography

This book features superb photography of the historic Catholic missions built in the southwest states and California. The beautiful photographs, many of them full-page, are of exterior and interior views of the missions, as well as closeups of architectural and artistic details. A short written history accompanies each featured mission, and although there are some mentions of the historical personages and events connected with the missions, most of the histories refer to the physical aspects of the missions such as their construction, remodeling, etc. This is a great coffee-table or armchair traveler book, but one will need to look elsewhere for a serious study about mission history.

Gorgeous!

I purchased this book after a recent visit to the Santuario de Chimayo near Taos, New Mexico, which is one of the churches it features. The photos are absolutely gorgeous and provide an excellent feel for the incredible beauty of these wonderful, historical buildings. The book covers everything from each church's unique architecture to the fascinating folk art that can be found within.