New Mexico Mission Churches

Before Spanish rule, the land now known as New Mexico was inhabited by many indigenous tribes and pueblos with their own religious beliefs. When conquistadors arrived to search for the Seven Cities of Gold, they created settlements in the pueblos they conquered and forced Catholicism on the people they enslaved. While several of these original missions were destroyed during the Revolt of 1680, the surviving churches are cherished by the communities they now serve. Author Donna Blake Birchell guides you through the unique histories of more than twenty mission churches, their struggles and triumphs over the centuries and the preservation challenges they now face.

Churches have played a major role in New Mexico's culture and history since the earliest days of its colonization. Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 photographs by Daniel Nadelbach, Historic New Mexico Churches tells the story of New Mexico through its churches: their history and legends, and the people who built them. From the massive mission churches built by the Franciscan friars during the days of the conquistadors through the smaller adobe chapels lovingly created by Spanish settlers to the grand Gothic and Romanesque edifices erected by New Mexico's first bishop, the book leads readers on a journey through war and famine, growth and expansion, rebellion and reconciliation.

In New MexicoNstill a borderland possession of Spain in 1776Nan unusually keen Franciscan observer, Fray Francisco Atanasio Dominguez, painted an extraordinarily detailed and often unflattering picture of the colony. A single source like no other that reveals life in raw, remote, late-18th-century New Mexico.

Excerpt from Spanish Mission Churches of New Mexico Books almost without number have been written on the Mission Churches of California; they have been pictured hundreds of times in pamphlets and magazines, and there seems to be an unfailing inter est in their quaint architecture and the story of their establishment; but outside of the boundaries of New Mexico, practically nothing is known of the far more interesting structures that render the Sunshine State the paradise of the tourist, the antiquarian, and the religious enthusiast. The elements which unite to make the Missions of New Mexico of much more real interest than those of California, will be treated of in the body of this work, and require only this brief reference here. Both in antiquity and variety, the former have a very great advantage. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Adams and Chavez polish a unique window on late 18th-century New Mexico, providing a seamless translation of Father Domnguez's original work as well as explanatory materials.