Tag Archive: arizona

San Xavier del Bac Mission – Tucson – Arizona

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Tucson - Arizona

One of the distinguishing cultural and architectural aspects of the American Southwest are historic remnants of Catholic missions that were established by the Empire of Spain in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The goal unlike the conquest of Mexico and South America for gold and riches, was to save the souls of native american indians the Spanish saw as pagans.

The Spanish Catholic Mission San Xavier del Bac was founded ten miles south of modern day Tucson, Arizona. It was founded in 1692 by Father Eusebio Kino, who also started the Tumacacori Spanish Mission just to the south near the border with Mexico. During his life, Eusebio established more than 24 missions, and country chapels in Pimería Alta (Sonora) and Baja California.

This mission was named after Francis Xavier, a Christian missionary and a founder of the Jesuit Order. The current church was completed in 1797, after the previous structure was destroyed by the Apaches. Its primary mission was the conversion of the local Pima Indians, and more specifically the Tohono O’odham band.

The church employs white stucco and a ornate Moorish-inspired architectural design.

Hoover Dam Construction Sign – Nevada/Arizona

Hoover Dam Construction Sign - Nevada/Arizona

A sign at the Hoover Dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada, acknowledging the nearly 5 years it took the Bureau of Reclamation to construct the dam between its ground breaking in 1931 and its dedication in 1935. Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River. When full it is the largest dam by volume in the United States.  The dam is currently at the center of concerns about drought and climate change in the desert southwest as the in flow of water from the Colorado River decreases and the volume of water in the dam drops, impacting both power generation, and a water source relied upon for agriculture and domestic consumption by more than 40 million Americans.

Parker Dam – Lake Havasu – California

Parker Dam - Lake Havasu - California

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A view of Parker Dam, which is responsible for Lake Havasu on the Colorado River between Arizona and California. The dam is 320 feet high, 235 feet of it buried below the riverbed. The dam was completed in 1938. Lake Havasu provides a water source  for both California’s Colorado River Aqueduct, as well the  Central Arizona Project Aqueduct, which provides agricultural and municipal water to Tucson and Phoenix.  The dam also produces a limited amount of hydroelectric power.