This beautiful old church in the middle of nowhere in Baja is not an easy place to get to,but well worth the effort. It was built in 1801 near the ruins of the original Jesuit mission. It has been restored over the years by the family who lives next door and they offer tours of the place to anyone who happens to find their way here. The people who live in neighboring towns use the church for special occasions, especially weddings.
Because the road was so rough, we hired a driver from Bahia de Los Angeles to take us there. From the paved road at Km. 44, a windy road through beautiful back country cactus fields, leads to the site. Although it is only 35 kilometers, it takes two hours to drive it. It is filled with pot holes and rocks.
The correct name of the mission is Mision San Francisco Borja de Adac. The Cochimi who lived here in prehistoric times, called the site Adac. There are several freshwater springs nearby so it was the perfect place to establish a mission. The Jesuits founded the mission in 1762. The Franciscans took it over in 1767 and then finally, the Dominicans in 1773. Our guide took us on a walk through lovely orchards and a vineyard to the springs.
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| Ruins of first Mission |
We spent a wonderful two hours here wandering through the ruins, the church and the grounds around it. Getting me back into that truck for the rough ride back took a lot of coaxing from Benito and my travel buddy!
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