Day 14 - San Xavier de Bac Mission

I was raised in a Catholic family. We went to church every Sunday. I was baptized, I had my first communion and confirmation. When I was in High School I went on a religious retreat with my cousin and for a short hiatus, I was a fervent believer. Later, as most good catholic young adults do, I succumbed to doubts. I saw on the news what ravaging effects a few fanatic religious men can do to a country, and repudiated the whole bit.
But lately, maybe because of life experiences, sometimes I get those feelings back. As I walk into the hall of a place of worship, I feel the warmth, protection, holiness, that feeling of being good inside, that feeling of sacred. Like when I would try to dissolve in my mouth the holy wafer from the communion without chewing. It was blessed and that was not to be done. Even though it was imposed, I felt guidance all through my formative years that gave me a moral compass, that probably kept me safe and away from troubles.
Now as an adult I am able to assert the worthiness without feeling uncool or naive.
But in Arizona, I feel I can go a step further. In this state, you really want to have fun with it. I really mean with the whole religion thing. You can get plenty of opportunities.
I might have gotten some inspirations from our good friends Ruth and Rich. There is a whole new aspect of the Catholic religion that I have never considered: the practicing of magic rites with saint prayers. I have seen books with formulas on how to properly pray to ...let's say... Saint Lucy and ask for healing from various illnesses. I promised myself to learn more about it. I bought laminated cards of Saint Mary and Saint Francis of Assisi with a prayer written in Spanish on the back (the English version did not seem to fit my purpose). I hung them in our trailer for protection on our long trip... hey you never know, we need protection.

So this morning I got excited when Ruth proposed to see the San Xavier Mission.
I was expecting to see a humble low baring white building, like I have seen in California, which is always a small disappointment as I come from Europe, where churches since the roman times are prominent buildings in a community.
As I parked our truck on the front esplanade, the view of the mission facade compelled me to review my concept of missions and their history.
San Xavier Mission stands on a large flat area with no other major buildings around, which overstates its presence, making it more prominent despite its size.

Original door 

The style is Mexican baroque, which is ornate but modest as its building materials. The baroque I have seen in Europe overwhelms you to submit to the religious power. In this case, it welcomes you as the angels in the altar that open the curtains on the statue of Mary and San Xavier.
I feel like I am in Mexico, but no it's Arizona. It is as worthy as any churches in Venice.
It was founded by an Italian Jesuit in 1692, Padre Eusebio Kino.
The current edifice was completed in 1797, with the will of the Franciscans and the labor of the O'odham natives.

It's rich and beautiful! Every detail has a story and a meaning.

The Franciscan rope is present and runs all through the walls ending at the altar with tassels.
Shells are displayed not just as an ornament but as a symbol of the Spanish faithfuls and the proof of their pilgrimage to the sea.
The statues of the four prophets are displayed on the four corners of the crossing of the nave and transepts, just like in my home town cathedral.

The facade columns pattern is repeated in the interior on the altar, but instead of four female saints, there are four male saints.
Symmetries are present everywhere in a maniacal manner. If on one wall there's a statue, there will be another one on the opposite wall. If there is a door, there will be one painted on the opposite side.
The transepts chapels are as rich as the altar. The chapel to the right has the original statue of Saint Mary, while the one to the left has the relic of Saint Xavier.

 

The statues wear real clothes and Saint Mary wears different ones according to the season.
The reason is not pagan, but due to the necessities. There were not enough materials to build an entire statue, since everything had to be carried from Mexico on a horse back.
Even the frames of the statues are made in wood and straw, and only the head and hands are in porcelain.

We took the tour and it was well worth it. We learned a lot and we enjoyed every detail. It was an awesome experience.

Day 13 - The Saguaro National Park

Cactus and succulents are in bloom. The desert is in bloom. The valley is green. It is beautiful.
Walking around the Sonoran desert is like walking in a manicured garden. There's no under-wood, no dried up weeds to weed-whack. The terrain is made of an homogeneous, compacted red sand. It looks orderly. The plants can be admired in their entirety like a painting hung on a colored wall.
There are giant saguaros everywhere. They punctuate the plain and the mountains like exclamation points.

We took a 6 mile hike in the Saguaro National Park, guided by our friends, Ruth and Rich. We reached a small creek with flowing water. The view was amazing. We could see Paul McCartney's ranch that he had bought for his wife Linda Eastman. He hardly ever lives there. Our friends say that he sends a beautiful bouquet of flowers every time they have an HOA Christmas party, since he can't attend it.
On the other side of the valley, Rich indicates another chain of mountains where Pima canyon is located. He told me it is also a really nice hike of 11 miles that takes you up to Mount Kimball.

fish-hook cactus in bloom

Desert Spoon is native to this area and does not need any irrigation.

The white roof belongs to one of the houses in the McCartney's ranch

This mistletoe's berries are edible and they tasted bad. They are supposed to cleanse your blood.

At one point on the hike we reached the site where a very rare saguaro is located, the Cristate or “crested” saguaro, as it has a crest on the top. This is happens when cells in the growing stem begin to divide outward, rather than in the circular pattern of a normal cactus. This is an unusual mutation which results in the growth of a large fan-shaped crest at the growing tip of a saguaro’s main stem or arms. One of the reasons for this anomaly may be frost, but it has not been proven. Amazing!

On the ground there were sparkles and you could see some also from a distance. There were pieces of mica. Nice!

Mica

Day 12 - Phoenix to Tucson

Today it was all highways and nothing to report.
FYI, the Spanish name of the city, Tucsón, is derived from the O'odham Cuk Ṣon, meaning "(at the) base of the black [hill]", a reference to a basalt-covered hill now known as Sentinel Peak.

Day 11 - The Botanical Garden and Frank Lloyd Wright

One of the main reasons to travel is to have the chance to look at beautiful things that give us pause and inspire us. Today was all about that.
In the morning we entered the botanical garden of Phoenix, one of the jewels of this city.
We learned that there are three different deserts across the south west: Sonora, Mojave and Chihuahua. Mojave is California and Nevada, Sonora is in Arizona, and Chihuahua is in Mexico and Texas. In this garden you could see which plants live in each area. 

Some desert plants look like corals and seaweed in the ocean. What a paradox. 

We saw many varieties of barrel cactus, agave, aloe, yucca, and chollas and willows. 

Large agave in front of ocotillo

Large yucca and barrel cactus

Yucca trees inside have strong thread with needle incorporated.

We got acquainted with creosote, ocotillo, prickly pear, boojan tree, jojoba tree, saguaro, cardon, and Mesquite. Mesquite is an amazing tree and every single part can be used. The sap hardens in little rocks and can be sucked when you have a soar throat. The black pitch can be boiled down to make black paint. The pods can be grounded up into Mesquite flower. The wood can be used for burning, smoking or construction, since it's very durable. 

Saguaro cactus can grow very tall. Under the thick skin and flesh which store all the water, there are ribs that keep the structure upright. They make bright red flowers in June and are harvested to make a sweet syrup. Woodpeckers bore holes on them to make nests. Afterwards other birds use the same nests on the saguaro cactus.

We learned how ocotillos can be used to make fences. Sometimes the poles grow roots again and it becomes a living fence.

A fence made with ocotillo branches

We took a tour with our docent Nancy and she was very knowledgeable.

Our docent by a tall saguaro

We took a self guided tour about native Americans and how they made a living in this desert. The wikiup is a shelter, like a hut made of shrub tied together agave strings, with a round roof. 

A Wikiup

Cottonwood tree

In the afternoon we drove to Taliesin West, which is a house designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The first Taliesin was built in Wisconsin on his mother's property and it was more in a traditional style. Taliesin is the Welsh word for shining brow, from a Welsh legend about a boy with a shining brow. It also describes the location where a house can be placed on a hill, which is not at the top but two thirds of the way up... like a brow.

The only way to visit the house is with a tour guide and it was well worth it. Our guide Diedra gave us real insights on the house history, Wright's style and personality, his wife Olgivanna, and the life at the school.

The house was build with materials taken from the local environment by his apprentices and it is a work of art, elegant and warm.
Frank Lloyd Wright, born in 1867, was a very innovative architect for his time. He wanted his home to blend with the surrounding environment, hence the large low profile plans. He invented the open frame living quarters. He was the first to use reinforced concrete. He wanted to break with the boxed home, where every room in the house has to be its own little box. He liked to have a more fluid arrangement.
The grounds are still hosting the school of architecture where students can earn a Masters degree.
Students are interviewed thoroughly to make sure they are aware of the harsh environment and their duties to the school.
They may live in a home built by previous apprentices in the desert with no running water and electricity with solar panels. They are obliged to have a major gala event each month, where they do everything from cooking, preparing, cleaning and entertaining.
Also in every day life, they are supposed to do one week of a chore, like washing dishes after a meal for 70 people.
The school is open only during the winter months and then they all move to the Taliesin in Wisconsin for the summer. 

the office

the prow

Frank Lloyd Wright agrees with me that the desert is like the ocean and his house is a boat ...that has a prow.

William sitting on an original Lloyd Wright armchair

the living room

His bedroom

Bell to call for meals

the dining room

the theater

the underground cabaret theater