Photos: San Xavier Mission in 1940 and 2015
Photos of Mission San Xavier del Bac taken by the National Park Service for the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1940 and taken again from the same vantage points by Arizona Daily Star photographer A.E. Araiza in 2015.
Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. April 10, 1940 GENERAL VIEW MAIN CHURCH (SOUTHWEST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission. Photos from Survey HABS AZ-13
GENERAL VIEW MAIN CHURCH (SOUTHWEST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission, April 22, 2015. Photo by A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star
Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March 27, 1940. NORTH ARCH TO SCHOOLYARD (NORTH ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission. Photos from Survey HABS AZ-13
NORTH ARCH TO SCHOOLYARD (NORTH ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission, Wednesday, April 22, 2015. Photo by A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star
Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. April 10, 1940. EAST TOWER THROUGH ARCH. (SOUTH ELEVATION OF CHURCH). - San Xavier del Bac Mission. Photos from Survey HABS AZ-13
EAST TOWER THROUGH ARCH. (SOUTH ELEVATION OF CHURCH). - San Xavier del Bac Mission, April 22, 2015. Photo by A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star
Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March 27, 1940. LAST REMAINING ORIGINAL URN. EAST TOWER WALL. (NORTHWEST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission. Photos from Survey HABS AZ-13
LAST REMAINING ORIGINAL URN. EAST TOWER WALL. (NORTHWEST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission, Wednesday, April 22, 2015. Photo by A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star
Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. April 10, 1940. GENERAL VIEW - CHURCH AND PATIO (NORTHEAST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission. Photos from Survey HABS AZ-13
GENERAL VIEW - CHURCH AND PATIO (NORTHEAST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission, April 22, 2015. Photo by A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star
Historic American Buildings Survey Frederick D. Nichols, Photographer January 1938 DISTANT VIEW LOOKING NORTH. - San Xavier del Bac Mission. Photos from Survey HABS AZ-13
DISTANT VIEW LOOKING NORTH. - San Xavier del Bac Mission, Wednesday, April 22, 2015. Photo by A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star
Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March 27, 1940. LANTERN OVER SACRISTY (NORTHEAST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission. Photos from Survey HABS AZ-13
LANTERN OVER SACRISTY (NORTHEAST ELEVATION). - San Xavier del Bac Mission, April 22, 2015. Photo by A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star
Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March 29, 1940 NAVE OF CHURCH, LOOKING TOWARD HIGH ALTAR - San Xavier del Bac Mission. Photos from Survey HABS AZ-13
NAVE OF CHURCH, LOOKING TOWARD HIGH ALTAR - San Xavier del Bac Mission, Wednesday, April 22, 2015. Photo by A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star
Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. April 23, 1940. ANNUNCIATION - San Xavier del Bac Mission. Photos from Survey HABS AZ-13
ANNUNCIATION - San Xavier del Bac Mission, April 22, 2015. Photo by A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
Bernard L. “Bunny” Fontana has come out with a new book on the history of our mission.
Here are some favorites of Andi Berlin of This Is Tucson:
New restaurants and longtime fixtures that didn't make it through the year.
In 1700, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino put down the foundations for a church at the village of Bac, on the Santa Cruz River near modern Tucson…
Dancers from throughout the southwest are in Tucson performing at the pow wow through Sunday evening at the San Xavier Mission.
Names were newly released by order; all four friars are deceased.
Scaffolds coming down on San Xavier Mission in time for EasterFor Star subscribers: Tucson's historic mission is expected to be free of scaffolding for the first time in more than a year. But more projects are ahead.
San Xavier Mission School had no other option "due to a significant decrease in enrollment as well as lack of critical staffing," the Catholic Diocese of Tucson says.
In the days following the sudden closure of San Xavier Mission School, diocese leaders coordinated with families and employees to help them find placements in other Tucson-area schools.
The ornate facade at the entrance to San Xavier Mission will soon get a much-needed facelift, thanks to a $749,000 grant from the National Park Service.
For Star subscribers: The bells that have rung out over the mission near Tucson for more than 200 years were recently taken down and treated in hopes of keeping them ringing for decades to come.
These photos were recently featured in the Star's Tucson Time Machine newsletter, which highlights Tucson's history through snapshots of peopl…