San Jose de Magdalena 27°03'40.3" 112°13'24.9"

A visita of the mission of Mulege located in an oasis canyon. Photo from 1905 appears in Dave Werschkul's 2003 book 'Saints and Demons in a Desert Wilderness'.

Photo from Michael Mathes' 1967 book 'The Missions of Baja California 1683-1849'

1998 photo by Kevin Clough at San Jose de Magdalena.

An extensive aqueduct brought water several miles from the canyon out to the desert where the Dominicans had a reservoir (pila) and some buildings. Photo by Kevin Clough

Not 'Santa Maria de Magdalena'

2009 photo of David Kier at one of the many ruined buildings that some historians
identify as the Magdalena Dominican visita, and others as a Jesuit mission. GPS: 27º03'29.9" 112º10'07.4".





The mission-era reservoir (pila) at the end of the aqueduct
(acequia) is located in the desert outside the San Jose de Magdalena canyon. GPS: 27°03'29.1" 112°10'12.3"

Ruins of some buildings by this pila have been mis-identified by several Baja book authors
as the Jesuit mission of Santa Maria Magdalena.

Arthur North (in 1906) camped here and heard the name 'Magdalena' applied to the site,
and that's where the mistake appears to have started.
The Jesuits had planned a mission of Santa Maria Magdalena in the 1740's farther north. See http://vivabaja.com/109

In 2009, Amy M. visted the site and found the chapel doorway had collapsed.

Another 2009 photo a San Jose de Magdalena from Amy M.

previous page next page