Photo: Restoration of the Old Adobe Mission

The sign in the front yard of Scottsdale's Old Adobe Mission announces that it has been undergoing a restoration project.  The most significant improvement for the use of the building was the addition of air conditioning -- just two years ago!

The Mission depends up private donations.  It is free, but there is a little collection box in the back.  The restoration was financed in part by a grant through the Arizona Parks system from funds obtained from the Arizona State Lottery.

The Arizona Legislature has cut funding for the State Parks in recent years, but projects like these are certainly worthwhile, in my opinion.  They also pay for themselves because tourism is one of the major industries of our state, and Scottsdale is a resort community with many visitors.

The sign in the background is the Mission restaurant, which I have featured in the past.

This week we have photos of dazzling Bangkok, Thailand  posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Old Mission

The Mission's sacristy contains religious objects, including this painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  It should be no surprise that a chapel built by Mexican immigrants would honor the most sacred relic of Mexico.

Each year in Scottsdale Old Mission on the second Saturday of December they retell the story of Juan Diego and the Miracle of the Roses, which occurred December 9 - 12, 1531 just outside Mexico City.

Tomorrow I will show my final post in this series.  I will explain how some of the money for the restoration became available.

This week we have photos of dazzling Bangkok, Thailand  posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Confessional in Old Scottsdale Mission

This photo shows a confessional at the back of Scottsdale's Old Adobe Mission.  It is unique in my experience.  I am sused to seeing confessionals that are wooden booths in the back or side of a Catholic church or cathedral.  In this Mission there are two alcoves in the back of the church.  There were wooden booths on each side of the alcove for the priest, and a curtain for privacy for the parishioner.

A Boy Scout restored the confessionals a few years ago as a civic project.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing dazzling photos of Bangkok.

Photo: Scottsdale Old Adobe Mission Votive Candles

The Scottsdale Old Adobe Mission is, of course, a Catholic Church, so there are votive candles.

It is not a functioning parish church, but is used for special occasions and weddings.  Recently a couple who was married there in the 1950's renewed their wedding vows on their 55th anniversary.

The church was not air conditioned until 2 years ago.  In my final post in this series in a couple of days I will explain how that money was raised.

This week we are showing photos of the elegant villas and gardens of the Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore, Italy on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Stained glass window with name of the artist

Yesterday I told the story of the Mexican-American who made the stained glass windows.  His name was Bernabe Herrera.  We know that for sure because he put his name in stained glass in one of the windows.

He was undoubtedly proud of his work, and he had every right to be proud.

I want to thank the volunteers who sit in the old Mission to greet visitors and explain the history of the church.  A kindly woman explained the history that I am privileged to relay to you.

Fortunately, we are not done.  There are a few more days and treats to come.

This week we have photos of the elegant villas and gardens of the Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore, Italy, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Stained glass windows of Old Adobe Mission

This is one of about a dozen stained glass windows in Scottsdale's Old Adobe Mission. They are remarkable for several reasons.  First, they were made by a Mexican-American laborer who had no experience in stained glass.  He thought the Mission needed stained glass windows, and he taught himself to make them.

They stained glass windows were lost for 23 years and were recovered and restored only a few years ago.  The Mission building had been used as the rehearsal hall by the volunteer Scottsdale Symphony Orchestra, and when some work on the building was being done, someone took the windows to an artisan in Phoenix who did stained glass work.

No one paid the artisan, however, so he never did the work.  23 years later, people wondered what happened to the windows, but no one knew.  Someone heard of the stained glass artisan, contacted him, and he still had them in storage, waiting for someone to pay him to do the work.  The money was then raised, the windows have been restored and returned to their original locations.

Tomorrow I will show you how we know the name of the person who originally made the windows.

This week we have photos of the elegant villas and gardens of the Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore, Italy, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Altar of Scottsdale Old Adobe Mission

This is the altar of the Old Adobe Mission.  The original altar was a simple wooden altar.  The fancy altar here, featuring the Last Supper, was donated by All Saints Church in Tucson in 1950.

The Church was not used for services for many years, as there was no air conditioning until two years ago when the Mission was restored.

On the wall above the altar is a photograph of a statue that was once above the altar and that is now located in a nearby church.  The statue was a gift of the Dominguez family in honor of the safe return from World War II of their son-in-law, Raul Noriega.  To me, this symbolizes the patriotism and contributions of Mexican-Americans whose roots in Arizona are deeper than most of Arizona's current residents.

The photos the next two days will feature what for me is the highlight of the Mission.

This week we have photos of the elegant villas and gardens of the Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore, Italy, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Old Adobe Mission Interior

The interior of the Old Adobe Mission is simple, as one would expect of a church built by volunteer Mexican laborers who were not construction workers by trade.  A local businessman, Robert Evans, who owned the Jokake Inn, helped the Mexican immigrants with their church project.

Evans owned a construction company and he designed the building and loaned foremen to supervise the construction after their work hours.  The priest for the parish obtained a gift of $1,000 from the Extension Society of Chicago to pay for the roof, which is made of heavy timbers that are connected to buttresses on the outside to support their weight.

The Extension Society was given the naming rights in exchange for their donation, and at their request the official name of the Mission is Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.

Robert Evans' Jokake Inn is now on the grounds of the Phoenician Resort and I have shown photos of it in the past, as reflected by the index label in the right margin.   It was also featured in the movie Raising Arizona, as the hosue of the furniture dealer from which Nicolas Cage's character kidnapped the baby.

This week we are showing photos of the elegant villas and gardens of the Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore, Italy on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Chuparosas against the Adobe Wall

This is a closer view of the chuparosas flowers in front of the Old Adobe Mission, which I showed yesterday.

The Scottsdale business community recognized in the 1920's that the Mexican immigrant laboring community needed a church so they gave them a plot of land on which they could build a church.  The land they gave them was right next to the blacksmith shop and stables, so it was smokey and smelly and not worth much due to its undesirability.

Amazingly, the adobe blacksmith shop is still there.  Vacant land for the church was in abundance during that period.

I will tell more of the story of the construction of the Old Adobe Mission tomorrow and in the days that follow.

This week we have photos illustrating the industry of Egyptian people and civilization posted  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Old Adobe Mission Facad

This is the front facade of the Old Adobe Mission in Old Town Scottsdale.  The Mission Church was built of adobe made from nearby mud and straw by Mexican immigrants, using the traditional techniques of their homeland.

Mexican families were brought to Scottsdale by businessmen in need of labor in the 1910's, with the approval of the U.S. and Mexican governments.  Scottsdale had a Methodist Church and a Baptist Church, but no Catholic Church during that period.

So how do you think Mexican immigrant laborers acquired the land and built a church?  More history will unfold tomorrow.

This week we have photos illustrating the industry of Egyptian people and civilization posted  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Mission and a bed of palo verde blossoms

This is the Scottsdale Mission, from across the street under a row of palo verde trees.  I took this photo a few weeks ago when the palo verde trees were dropping their yellow blossoms.

The Scottsdale Mission is across the street from the 

parking lot in Old Town Scottsdale where they hold a Farmer's Market every Saturday morning.   That necessitated shooting into the sun, but I like the effect because the backlighting highlights the colors of the palo verde blossoms.

The Scottsdale Mission has a fascinating history, which I will share during the days ahead as I begin a little series about it.

This week we have photos illustrating the industry of Egyptian people and civilization posted  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.