Selections from George Eckhart's Collection of Mission Photography

George Eckhart (1888-1978) took a great interest in the Spanish missions of the southwestern United States and Sonora. During his research and travels, Eckhart photographed many churches throughout the region. The selections of photographs in this collection depict two missions: San Javier de Batuc and Santa Maria de Tepupa. The original sites of these missions are now submerged by El Novillio, a manmade lake. 

Before the waters arrived, the façade of San Javier de Batuc was disassembled and relocated to Tres Pueblos Plaza, a park in Hermosillo, Mexico about 100 miles away. The photographs in this collection show the missions before and after the flooding, including the relocated façade of San Javier de Batuc,

References

Dean, R. (2002, January). "Eckhart, George B. 1898-1978, Papers & Photos, 1905-1973" [Finding aid]. Eckhart, George Collection (MS 0239), Arizona Historical Society. 

Woodhouse, M. (2019, April 10). "Untold Arizona: 50 Years Later, The Memory of 3 Flooded Sonoran Pueblos Lives On." Fronteras.