Altar at Mission San Xavier del Bac. The decoration is a combination of molded stucco and gessoed and gilded carved figures. The mission’s beautiful retablo facade barely prepares one for the visual complexity and extravagant colors of the altarpiece.
On the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation near Tucson, Arizona.
La Divina Pastora.
Fresco at the Mission San Xavier del Bac. For years, this figure was widely assumed to be Christ the Good Shepherd (el Buen Pastor), then promptly reconsidered after cleaning, stabilization, and restoration in the 1990s.
Please click photo for an enlarged view.
Plaster saints and angels.
Fresco interior decorations at the Mission San Xavier del Bac, on the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation near Tucson, Arizona.
It was that kind of sky. It was that kind of day.
Mission San Xavier del Bac, on the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation near Tucson, Arizona.
Rock art lizard.
I spotted this Clark’s spiny lizard (Sceloporus clarkii) climbing on a petroglyph panel at Picture Rocks. The dark crossbars on its forelimbs are diagnostic. I have read a description that calls the bands “bracelet-like,” but to me they look like the sleeves of a very itchy, very scaly sweater.
Picture Rocks petroglyph site, at the Redemptorist Renewal Center, Tucson, Arizona.
The rock art here was made by Hohokam people, with panels dominated by animal and anthropomorphic forms. Some figures are currently thought to be solstice markers. The retreat center welcomes visitors who want to see the glyphs, but requests check-in at the office before exploring the site.
Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars) by
Stan Getz and João Gilberto, featuring vocals by Astrud and
João
Gilberto and piano by
Antônio Carlos Jobim. This track originally appeared on the 1965 album Getz/Gilberto. João Gilberto died yesterday at age 88.
Rivoli’s.
Untitled.
Untitled.
Dithyramb 