Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Heathen Vagabondage

It was not only the crisp, clean lines of white against the brilliant blue sky, nor the over-the-top Baroque feast for the eyes inside the 18th century Mission San Xavier del Bac that drew us in. It was coming across the term "heathen vagabondage" that really captured our imaginations.

Padre Kino founded San Xavier Mission at the village of Wa:k in the 17th century and his job as missionary was to "pacify" the natives and make them loyal vassals of the crown of Spain. But the Piman groups who populated the area practiced the centuries old seasonal migration lifestyle, consisting of summer and fall tending and harvesting crops in their rancherias, and after harvest leading a nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle.

The Europeans could not understand this lifestyle. They condemned mobility as "heathen vagabondage" because of their misunderstanding of the Pimans cultural and ecological adaptation to life in a sometimes harsh semi-arid environment.

As full time RVers heathen vagabondage speaks volumes to us. Our nomadic lifestyle is outside the norm but so right for us at this time. We are thankful we live in the 21st century; some may not understand our choices, but no one is trying to pacify us!

The Mission is located approximately 10 miles South of Tucson, is an active church, has docent tours daily, and a museum that details the history of this architectural beauty in the desert.















One small example of the elaborate interior.
It is impossible to capture the intricate details in a photo...

Many architectural details are simply painted directly on the walls.




10 comments:

  1. Great photos. That was one of our favorite places to visit in Tucson.

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  2. Isn't it beautiful out there? I love the mission, at sunset it can really be spectacular. Your pictures are just lovely, especially the interiors.

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    1. Ooooh, hadn't thought about sunset...we may have to return!

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  3. Replies
    1. It was such a surprise to see so much beauty in the middle of open, dusty, brown desert!

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  4. Thank you Lisa for this post. We are at Gilbert Ray Campground and wanted to stock up on food before the snow started. We went to a Walmart on Valencia and took Mission Road south. I noticed the signs for this and wanted to explore, but with the weather we opted to save a visit for another day. Maybe tomorrow! Stay warm...Ingrid

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    1. Yes, it is worth the visit, especially on a sunny day! Hope you manage to stay warm tonight, it will be around freezing!

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  5. Glad to see you are taking in the sites of the town. We really should do more of that if we return to Tucson. We just got so caught up in the nature thing. Great mission pictures!

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  6. Wow, Beautiful pictures of the architecture as well as the interiors. We should have made that right turn when we saw the sign. Thanks for taking us there.

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