David Policansky
In this fourth collection, the photographer and author completes 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 4WD 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 photographs and descriptions of the churches reflect that complex beauty and provide enough information for the reader to find each of them. They 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 northwestern New Mexico, churches north of Interstate 40 and in and to the west of Santa Fe County and the western half of Taos County. The churches include famous and imposing ones like the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis in Santa Fe, and more modest ones off the beaten track like San Luis Gonzaga in San Luis. They cover not only a geographic span but a time span from the early 1700s to the 20th century. Each church is unique, each has its own story, and each one claims the Land of Enchantment as home.
