7. La Purisima Socorro Mission

The mission and bell tower that stand today date back to the 1840s and provide an excellent example of Spanish Mission architecture. Inside you'll find a statue of St. Michael dating back to the early 1800s. Its beautiful ceiling is an intricate pattern of Indian-decorated and carved beams (vigas and latias/enrejados). The original mission was built in 1691 but was destroyed by the flooding river and rebuilt in the 1740s. In 1828, a second flood destroyed the structure.   (© 10Best)

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