Essence of Place – Grand Canyon National Park

Watchtower Point, Grand Canyon NP

Watchtower Point, Grand Canyon NP © 2014 Bo Mackison

Imagine standing at the edge of this rock point.

Look down into canyon, over a mile deep, and watch the Colorado River as it winds its way through geological time markers.

The canyon was created by the Colorado River over a period of six million years and nearly two billion years of the history of the earth have been exposed at the river cut a deep channel and many layers of the Colorado Plateau were uplifted. As a result of these forces, three of the four eras of time are recorded in the rocks of this canyon.

Colorado River, Grand Canyon NP
Colorado River Flowing through Grand Canyon NP © 2014 Bo Mackison

Grand Canyon, located in northern Arizona, is 277 miles long. Over a mile deep and up to eighteen miles from rim to rim, it is the largest canyon in the world.

Much of the canyon is in Grand Canyon National Park, one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a strong proponent of protecting the natural beauty of the area. In 1908 he  signed legislation making the area a National Monument, saying:

“Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity and loveliness. You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is to keep it for your children, your children’s children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Congress upgraded the Grand Canyon to a national park in 1919, the fifth National Park, and doubled the protected area in 1975.

Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park

Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park © 2014 Bo Mackison

The area was inhabited by Native Americans approximately 3000-4000 yeas ago.

They lived in small settlements in the canyon and its caves. The Pueblo people consider the Grand Canyon a holy place, and one of their legends tells of their ancestors opening a hole from their heavens and ascending into the deepest regions of the canyon.

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park © 2014 Bo Mackison

Grand Canyon National Park is also a World Heritage Site.

The land is semi-arid and consists of raised plateaus and basins typical of the southwestern United States. Water drainage systems have cut into the rock, forming a maze of steep-walled canyons.

Canyon Color

Canyon Color – “Leaves of a Great Story Book” © 2014 Bo Mackison

John Wesley Powell made the first recorded journey through the canyon in 1869.

He followed the course of the Colorado River. He called the many layers of exposed rock “leaves in a great story book”.

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park © 2014 Bo Mackison

Grand Canyon National Park is also a World Heritage Site.

The land is semi-arid and consists of raised plateaus and basins typical of the southwestern United States. Water drainage systems have cut into the rock, forming a maze of steep-walled canyons.

Raven at Grand Canyon

Raven at Grand Canyon National Park © 2014 Bo Mackison

Ravens linger around the canyon rims.

Intelligent animals, they know that a few visitors will offer them bits of food, even though it is strictly against the national park regulations. This raven was over two feet in length, a large and rather intimidating bird, intent on a midday snack.

Grand Canyon - Ten Miles from Rim to Rim

Grand Canyon – Ten Miles from Rim to Rim © 2014 Bo Mackison

It is common to see hawks fly across the canyon at this point, only ten miles across.

Even in less than ideal light – cloud cover – the canyon still displays an endless array of color. Solitary trees appear to grow from bare rock, their roots finding just enough soil to live in harsh conditions.

Grand Canyon – a place that truly lives up to its name.

A Photo Stroll in Tubac Arizona

Hanging Fish

Hanging Fish © 2014 Bo Mackison

Sundays are a great day to wander, snap a few shots to capture a place.

Art hangs on so many of the walls in Tubac. The art against the adobe background is striking.

Dry Wash

Dry Wash © 2014 Bo Mackison

A dry wash separates the main part of town. Signs warn to cross only in fair weather. A flash flood following monsoonal rains will fill this wash to overflowing.

Wall Decor

Wall Decor © 2014 Bo Mackison

Moons, cacti, lizards – colorful and happy – decorate the outside walls of many of the shops. One would never run out of display space.

Gyros

Gyros © 2014 Bo Mackison

Happy trucks – the food trucks offer a variety of foods during crowd-pleasing events. Would you enjoy a gyro or a Greek salad from the “Sleek Greek”?

Golden Sculpture, Golden Acacia

Golden Sculpture, Golden Palo Verde © 2014 Bo Mackison

A part of a golden kinetic sculpture gleams against the background of a golden-flowering palo verde.

Shadow Play

Shadow Play © 2014 Bo Mackison

Lines and light and shadow.

WindowLess

WindowLess © 2014 Bo Mackison

What can you see from this window, even though it is blocked with bricks?

Keep Off

Keep Off © 2014 Bo Mackison

In the Midwest, the signs read “Keep Off the Grass.” Not so in Arizona.

Roof Lines

Roof Lines © 2014 Bo Mackison

Blue sky. Yellow roof. Metal awning. Orange rafters. White lights. Open windows.

Sidewalk Shadow

Sidewalk Shadow © 2014 Bo Mackison

Always there are shadows on the pavement, courtesy of the Arizona’s nearly ever-present sun. Tree shadows. My favorites.

Brick Wall and Pavement

Aggregate © 2014 Bo Mackison

Things can sometimes be very simple. A wall. A sidewalk. Lean against the adobe brick, and breathe a while. Rest.

Bench Warmer

Bench Warmer © 2014 Bo Mackison

The bench warmer in bronze. I’d expect to see this esteemed man in a different setting – not in a desert gallery. There is swirling dust about his feet.

These photos were taken with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app.

One of my favorite parts of this app is its shakability. Shake the cell phone camera and the filter changes, so I’m never sure which filter will appear next. Serendipity photography.

Essence of Place — Brown Mountain in the Sonoran Desert

Exploring Brown Mountain © 2014 Bo Mackison

Here are limitless views of desert vegetation, strange giant cacti forms, rock formations uprising sharply into forms and craggy peaks almost unreal to strangers and ever fascinating in the changing flood of desert light. ~ C. B. Brown

For several years, I thought Brown Mountain was named for its predominately reddish-brown rocky face, a face studded with whiskers of toothpick saguaro cacti. Then I researched the origins of Brown Mountain, a small rounded mountain located in the Sonoran Desert in Tucson Mountain Park, just west of Tucson Arizona, and discovered it was named in honor of C. B. Brown (1889-1979) the foremost advocate for keeping the Tucson Mountain region a natural space.

Under Brown’s guidance and continued efforts, the Tucson Mountain region was closed to mining and homesteading in 1926, and preserved in its natural desert state for the enjoyment of all.

Cactus Arms © 2014 Bo Mackison

The scenic qualities, luxuriance and variety of desert flora, abundance of wild life, and historical romance of the land are accepted material bits. ~ C. B. Brown

On Top of Brown Mountain

On Top of Brown Mountain © 2014 Bo Mackison

More fascinating is the intangible charm and spell of the desert region where the haze of the mountain ranges meet the blue of the sky and the desert impressive in its cloak of utter silence awaits the nature lover. ~ C. B. Brown

The Brown Mountain Trail has trail heads at both the Brown Mountain Picnic Area and the Juan Baptiste Picnic Area. It’s a five-mile hike, up, around, and back, with distant vistas at every turn. The views are especially great considering the minimal effort required to reach the peak.

The hike covers undulating ridges with views of Tucson Mountains and distant views of The Santa Ritas, Kitt Peak and other far away mountain ranges. Baboquivari, the sacred peak of the Tohono O’odham Nation and traditional home of I’itoi, the creator-god of the land, can be seen on a clear day.

There is a huge diversity of flora and fauna, easily a cross-section of what is found in the nearby region.

CCC Shelter in Brown Mountain Picnic Area © 2014 Bo Mackison

No portrait of the Brown Mountain area would be complete without a photograph of the historical picnic area built by the Citizen Conservation Corps in the 1930s. You might notice a camera pack, a hiking stick, and a pile of books on the concrete table. This is my office away from my office – I can often be found working here when the desert sun works its magic and calls me to the desert.

Brittlebush © 2014 Bo Mackison

Recent rain has brought yellow and green to the desert floor. Most of the common flowers are yellow — brittle-bush, desert marigold, acaia, mesquite, and many more.

Mesquite Near Brown Mountain © 2014 Bo Mackison

And when the rains come, the trees, often without leaves in the more arid times, sprout tiny specks of leaves. From a distance the trees show lovely and soft green forms.

Sonoran Desert in Brown Mountain © 2014 Bo Mackison

I am no longer surprised at the diversity of plants, cacti, and trees I see in the Sonoran Desert, how they are so openly spaced in order to provide each plant with needed rain and nutrients from the ground, but I am often taken aback by how “manicured” the desert often seems — as if a landscape gardener comes out early every day to rake the rocks, put all in place.

Essence of Place — Cienegas National Conservation Area

Yucca

Yucca at Empire Ranch © 2014 Bo Mackison

The Cienegas National Conservation Area is a unique high desert habitat. It includes five of the rarest habitat types in the American Southwest: cienegas (marshes in an arid land), cottonwood and willow riparian areas, sacaton grasslands, mesquite bosques, and semi-desert grasslands.

Yucca at Empire Ranch

Semi Desert Grassland in the Ciengas NCA © 2014 Bo Mackison

The land is in a transitional zone between the Sonoran Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert, and located about 50 miles south of Tucson. It is a mixed use area – conservation work are cattle ranching are done side by side. And yes, it works.

Empire Ranch Road

Mesquite Bosque along Empire Ranch Road © 2014 Bo Mackison

45,000 acres of land are now protected from what was once a future of housing developments and other commercial use. The ranchers work the ranch, the conservationists work to reclaim some of the grasslands that transitioned into a mesquite bosque. Hikers, horseback riders, campers all intermingle with the ranchers — not that too many people actually see each other in this spacious land.

Grasslands at Empire Ranch

Sacaton Grasslands at Empire Ranch © 2014 Bo Mackison

The not for profit Empire Ranch Foundation is dedicated to preserving the historic ranch buildings and surrounding landscape. (Ranch photos coming in next series.)

Essence of Place – Mission San Xavier del Bac

White Dove Mission

“Essence of Place” – A limited selection of photographs that, when combined, provide an overall feel for a place and offer a unique glimpse into what gives a place its particular essence. The mood or emotion portrayed in the place is emphasized. People are frequently included to illustrate culture or connection.  ~ Bo Mackison

Capturing “Essence of Place” is not limited to expansive landscape and wilderness areas.

Essence of Place is also a useful container when photographing historical sites, architectural spaces and urban settings. are also perfect spaces to capture their essence in a limited number of photos.

In some settings, particularly if one is traveling to see a special place, it is helpful to do some research and list a few words or phrases that highlight what the qualities that capture the essence of place. This is simply a place to begin — there will always be the serendipitous photos seen on site.

When photographing an architectural, it is helpful to keep in mind scale, and include photos of the entire site, photos of a part of the building’s exterior, plus expansive interior photos, intimate interior photos, and photos that capture small, telling details.

Words, phrases and concepts that define the “Essence of Place” at Mission Xavier del Bac:

  • National Historic Landmark
  • Catholic mission
  • a sacred place and active ministry
  • south of Tucson Arizona
  • construction from 1783 through 1797
  • built by the Tohono O’odham tribe, under the direction of Spanish Franciscans
  • oldest European structure in Arizona
  • original statuary, murals undergo constant restoration as funds are available
  • carved wooden statues of Native Americans and other saints
  • roofed with masonry vaults, domes
  • shells (symbol of pilgrimage) and cords (Franciscan symbol) are throughout the church
  • lime plaster exterior covering adobe bricks
  • painted curtains, marbling, even exterior drain spouts
San Xavier Mission

San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

This intimate landscape highlights the adobe brick structure, covered with lime plaster.

The white is stark against the Arizona bright blue skies. Desert trees offer minimal protection and shade. The sharp angles taken from a low vantage point emphasize the church’s majestic presence over the surrounding desert environment.

Down Spout of Paint

Painted Down Spout at San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

Creative details abound in the Mission Church.

In this frontier land in the 1700s, stone and adobe were available for building supplies, as was a limited amount of wood, but other items were hauled from Mexico, requiring a difficult overland trek

This did not stop the creators of the church from fabricating a sacred space using paint, gesso, and other natural materials. In one example, the drain spouts were fabricated from adobe, covered with lime plaster, and then painted from a crushed red rock substance.

In this portrait in a landscape, visiting brothers explore and worship in the historic church.

San Xavier Mission

The original church, whose construction dates from 1783-1797, was built by Tohono O’odham and supervised by Spanish Franciscan priests and brothers. The church has been repaired and renovate countless times – after periods of abandonment and disuse, earthquake damage, and lightning strike fires. Renovation is an ongoing process.

Pilgrims from around the world, some 200,000 a year, visit the Mission Church known as the “White Dove of the Desert”, a sacred space steeped in history, culture, and art.

Sacristy, Mission San Xavier del Bac

Sacristy, Mission San Xavier del Bac © 2014 Bo Mackison

The sacristy and east and west transepts feature over a hundred carved statues and murals.

Fabricated curtains, tassels, fonts, niches, and columns are carved from plaster and then highly decorated to resemble marble, fabric, gilding, and wood.

San Xavier Mission

Dome and Arches of San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

The mission church is a National Historic Landmark.

It is the oldest, still intact, European structure in Arizona.  Masonry vaults and domes form the roof which makes it unique among Spanish Colonial buildings in the United States borderland.

The church continues with restoration as funds become available. A glimpse of the scaffolds in the west sacristy is the site of a current restoration project. Experts are restoring a wall mural.

San Xavier Mission

St Bonaventure with Angels at his Feet, San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

Statues were usually created in the artist guilds in Mexico.

Then the statues were transported to the Mission where local artists added the finishing touches. Often the statues were “dressed” in gesso or fabric.

San Xavier Mission

St. Francis Candle at San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

Candles are an integral part in many Catholic Churches.

A warm golden glow emits from the many candle racks in the transepts of the church. Parishioners and visitors light candles as offerings, in gratitude and in petition. The candle lit areas are a favorite place for quiet prayer, introspection, meditation.

I chose to take a photograph of these candles and highlight the painted portrait of St. Francis Xavier, namesake of the mission and a revered saint of the Tohono O’odham — a “portrait” in a still life photograph.

San Xavier Mission

St. Francis Chapel at San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

A side chapel honors the namesake of the mission, St Francis Xavier.

Inside the small square building are racks for votive candles, statuary, and offerings from petitioners. Atop the chapel are three brass bells in a triple bell tower. The area in front of the chapel has carved stations of the cross in the stone wall and a desert garden.

San Xavier Mission

Interior of St. Francis Chapel © 2014 Bo Mackison

A detail shot shows the interior of the ten foot square chapel, white washed walls streaked with smoke.

There are always lit candles of petition and gratitude. (The paraffin candles have been replaced with a smokeless candle which will avoid further smoke damage to the ancient walls.

If one is patient, there are lulls between the petitioners’ visits. Wait long enough and the empty shrine fills with the still-present energy of seekers and believers.

I stood in this dim room, my eyes slowly adjusted to the candle lift dark when I came inside from the drenched-in-bright-sunlight desert. Scrawled letters with heart-touching stories, children’s drawings, holy cards, wedding and baptismal announcements, bits of jewelry and children’s toys adorn the altar.

(The Mission San Javier del Bac is located approximately 20 miles south of Tucson, Arizona, easily accessed from the I-19 expressway.)