Palaces of the Desert 275 



for untold years. In its decoration the mission 

 is extremely rich and ornate, its ornamentation 

 being peculiarly Franciscan. Over the door is 

 an artistic scroll and on either side images of 

 the saints, about three feet in height, standing 

 in niches, beneath a stucco scroll. Over the door 

 is a portico from which a door leads to the in- 

 terior, and over this a conventional shell of the 

 tridacna class, giving a fine effect. On either 

 side of this portico are niches containing images 

 of saints, the decoration above being similar to 

 that below. Over this rises an ornate mass of 

 scrolling. The observer regrets to notice evi- 

 dences of decay and despoliation here and there. 

 On the left of the roof rises a fine tower, pierced 

 for the belfry, while another is incomplete. 

 Back of this is the dome. 



If the visitor is charmed with the exterior of 

 this desert expression of Franciscan architec- 

 ture, what can be said of the interior, which 

 exceeds in beauty that of any of the missions 

 of the Pacific coast, possessing great arches, 

 frescoed ceilings, and walls covered with pictures 

 of the saints? Some of the work is, of course, 

 barbaric, but the general effect appeals at once 

 to the eye and doubtless had an effect upon the 

 Papagos, who are the principal worshippers. 



The general shape of the mission is that of a 

 cross. As the visitor passes from the dazzling 

 sunshine of the Arizona desert into the build- 



