Mission San Xavier del Bac, the White Dove of the Desert, is a photogenic mission church serving the village of Wa:k on the Tohono O’odham reservation. We visited here a number of times but the most photos are from 2013 on the photo page, San Xavier del Bac. This is the oldest European-built structure in the USA. Of course, it was built well before this geography was added to the USA by the Gadsden Purchase in 1854. See the full history.
We were back today with Alex and Sarah. So, a few more pictures and this important note: because it’s on the reservation, they have Indian fry bread (with honey and powdered sugar).
-
- The craftsmen who sculpted the interior are unknown.
-
- The convento was constucted of sun-dried adobe bricks with prickly pear juice as the magic ingredient in the mortar.
-
- Volcanic rock was the original foundation.
