Describes the art and architecture of the six remaining Spanish missions in Texas as they looked when they were originally constructed in the 1600s and 1700s, discusses the message missionaries were trying to convey through their paintings and sculptures, and follows the decay of the buildings, and their subsequent reconstructions.

"César Martinez stands out for his ability to work in a number of different modes simultaneously and in a wide range of media, including painting, assemblage and collage, drawings in charcoal and pastel, watercolor, and a variety of print techniques, including monotypes, lithographs, and woodcuts."--Introduction and acknowledgements.