by Jim and Melanie
The influence of the Spanish on the Native American and Mexican families of the southwest is strong. One can see it in the culture and the architecture. An example is the mission church in Ranchos de Taos a few miles south of Taos, New Mexico. It is called San Francisco de Asis. The sign by the road tells part of the story.
We arrived late morning intending to view the interior. A funeral service was in progress. So, we didn’t tour inside. The exterior is one of the most photographed and painted churches in the Americas.
Front gate.
Painted and imaged by Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams, among many other artists.
The poles cast long shadows
Note the straw in the adobe
Rear of the church
Doors on a building nearby
I was raised in a large family on this farm in the mid-west. It was a great place to grow up with two older brothers, four older sisters, and two younger brothers. There is a twenty year spread in our ages. Dad worked the farm. Mom worked the house and us kids. We were raised to be true to the Catholic church. Eat no meat on Friday, regular confession, fast before church, take regular communion, receive all the sacraments at the proper time. Those were the rules we followed without question. We were smart and happy most of the time. We did well in school and never gave our parents undue grief. Almost never.
Our View From Iowa 