David Policansky
In this second collection, the photographer/author has continued his long-term mission to photograph the captivating and evocative historic Catholic churches of the state of New Mexico. The mission became a journey that covered the highways, back roads, and trails of the state, from north to south, east to west. He has driven these roads, photographing these churches that reflect New Mexico’s complex history and beautiful landscapes, and talked to many people who attend, maintain, and love them. His descriptions of the churches reflect that complex beauty and provide enough information for the reader to find each of them. The photographs and descriptions also reflect an urgency: many small, rural, historic churches in New Mexico lack funds for maintenance as rural populations decline, and some of them are at risk of disappearing forever. This volume covers the churches in central and southern New Mexico, churches south of Interstate 40. The churches include famous and imposing ones like San Esteban del Rey in Acoma Pueblo, and more modest ones off the beaten track like San Isidro Mission Church in Borica. They include churches from near the Mexican border in the south to the Arizona border in the west and the Texas border in the east, covering not only a wide geographic span but a time span from the 1600s to the 20th century. The churches reflect the diversity of New Mexico’s communities and history. Each is unique and each one claims the Land of Enchantment as home.
