In the previous post,
we looked at the front and the inside of
The next and last post on the mission will be:
Now let's go around to the side to look at some more details.
On the nave side of the church the gardens help to soften
the hard angular feel of such a large building.
One of the interesting details is the stone steps
that presumably lead up to the inside balcony and the steeple,
as you can see above.
It seems odd to put the steps on the outside with no railing
but the stone mass must add to the structure of the steeple.
Looking up...
...one notices even more beautifully carved stone detail.
The other thing that interests me is the exterior plaster detail
used to cover the stone walls, as you can see above.
It is rather striking to see the before and after of the faux stone plaster,
and I would assume that the original intent was for the faux stone plaster
to hide the rougher stone used in the walls.
In previous times it was common to cover core materials
such as stone or wood with plaster or paint to create a more refined look.
There was no indication that the plaster work was continuing,
but rather was stopped as is.
The above photo was taken from a courtyard behind a home on the adjoining zocolo,
and shows how prominent a church of this scale can be to a small town.
In the garden alongside the nave is a shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
And finally on the other side of the nave is this interesting buildout,
which seems to provide access to the pulpit inside,
but what is the scar around the small round window?
In the next post we will take a look at the doors and windows of the mission.
To see see more on Baja California Sur
go to LABELS on the right sidebar and click on
Building In Baja California Sur.
