The California Missions
This is an absolutely stunning book. The photographs of the California missions are beautiful. This book does not purport to be a true history of the missions: all the ugly parts about servitude and native slavery are omitted. This is told from the perspective of how absolutely heroic the missionaries were to trek thousands of miles and establish so many magnificent outposts. Junipero Serra, the mission’s founder, began his journey with a ninety-nine-day sea voyage. He then traveled 250 miles on foot to Mexico City. He walked hundreds of miles more, even with serious injuries, in his quest to establish the Catholic foothold in California.
Photographs in the book are by Melba Levick, who specializes in California architectural photography. This is her sixtieth book.
With such an ambitious undertaking, this reader would have hoped that more of the story would include the sacrifices made by native populations, but the focus of this book is on architecture and the accomplishment of exploration. It is a testament to a significant part of California history.
Author | Ruben G. Mendoza • Melba Levick, Photographer |
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Star Count | 3.5/5 |
Format | Hard |
Page Count | 256 pages |
Publisher | Rizzoli |
Publish Date | 2018-Mar-20 |
ISBN | 9780847861514 |
Bookshop.org | Buy this Book |
Issue | July 2018 |
Category | Art, Architecture & Photography |
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