San Ignacio, that lovely oasis of date palms. A wonderful respite from the surrounding desert landscape. It is easy to find you have lost several hours in the streets of San Ignacio. We wandered the grounds of the town plaza and Mision, once again extremely appreciative of the appeal of the “old”.

The missions of Baja California were established between 1683 and 1834 by various groups to spread Christian doctrine among the local populations. The Mision San Ignacio Kadakaaman was founded by the Jesuits in 1728, although the current surviving church was attributed to the Dominican ministry and completed in 1786. Upon the initial site of the Mision, I was relentlessly drawn towards her arched doors.

I love exploring “old stuff”. Walking in the footsteps of history, whether it be at Abu Simbel or Angkor Wat or the Great Wall of China, has long been a favorite activity. An avid reader, i am able to transport myself back in time to imagine what it might have been like to be in these amazing places in their heyday. I admire an arched doorway, unable to comprehend how workers nearly 300 years ago were able to craft such beauty.

Gilded altarpieces and carved wooden doors. Both have survived the wrath of time but HOW? How can such exquisite beauty and craftsmanship last the centuries when, in the United States, we seem unable to build anything that allows for more than a decade or two?  How did a people with very little at their disposal create so many wonders of the world? And more importantly; how did that knowledge seem to get lost in the transition of time?

Eventually, we moved on, there were more Misions and towns and beaches to explore. More history to walk amongst on this road of life.