THE FACADE.
Mission
San Xavier Del Bac
Arizona
A Descriptive and Historical
GUIDE
Compiled by Workers of the Writers’s Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Arizona
Sponsored by
Arizona Pioneers’ Historical Society
HASTINGS HOUSE, Publishers NEW YORK
First Published in March 1940
FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY
John M. Carmody, Administrator
WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
F. C. Harrington, Commissioner
Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner
W. J. Jamieson, State Administrator
Copyright 1940 by the Arizona Pioneers’ Historical Society
Printed in U.S.A.
All Rights are Reserved, Including the Rights to
Reproduce This Book or Parts Thereof in Any Form
THERE IS A SPLENDID PANORAMA OF THE VALLEY FROM THIS POINT.
Preface
The Mission of San Xavier del Bac, generallyconceded to be the greatest of all the oldSpanish missions and the finest example of puremission architecture in the United States, hasenjoyed a variable and fascinating developmentthrough nearly two and a half centuries. Thisdescriptive and historical guide to the mission isdesigned to enable native Arizonans and touriststhe more appreciably to enjoy San Xavier’sgreat beauty and significance.
Acknowledgment is due to Dr. Herbert EugeneBolton, Chairman, Department of Historyand Director of the Bancroft Library, Universityof California, for his helpful suggestions inconnection with the history of the mission. Dr.Rufus Kay Wyllys, Head, Department of SocialScience, Arizona State Teachers College atTempe, was also very helpful in this respect. Asto the architectural descriptions, the authorityof Prent Duell, in his publication “MissionArchitecture, Exemplified in San Xavier delBac” was generously employed.
The Editors.