The Mission Trail

Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson, AZ

A desert refuge…

They could see their refuge as a distant mirage, a landmark of white- washed adobe towers standing strong against the intense blue sky and the flat, dun-colored desert. It was an oasis welcoming travelers to rest, shade and water. It was Mission San Xavier del Bac to the residents but White Dove of the Desert to everyone else.

More than a sanctuary, the mission was a lifeline, a link in a chain of missions stretching a thousand miles through the desert Southwest, forging a path of colonial rule through difficult and dangerous terrain. There once were over 40 missions from Arizona to California, built to administer a far-reaching empire that needed to be tamed for God and Spain, salvation and revenue - the lasting legacy.

Few survived the harshness of the Sonoran Desert. The bones of Mission San Jose de Tumacacori, leave a visual testament of life devoted to saving souls and making the desert bloom. Its ruins and crumbling stone structures remain as witnesses to the centuries-old mission trail that brought God and Spanish colonialism to a New World.

by Christine Olsenius