The Equestrian

The Equestrian is the world's largest bronze equestrian statue to date standing almost 40-foot tall.  It was dedicated on 21 April 2007 and the name of the artist is John Sherrill Houser (and Ethan Taliesin Houser).  This statue was originally named after Juan de Oñate (AKA Juan de y Oñate Salazar) which was a Spanish conquistador and explorer.  The stature was renamed to "The Equestrian" by the City Council in order to deter growing criticism of the sculpture.  Juan de Oñate, even by his own accounts, had subjected the people of Acoma and other pueblos to horrendous atrocities. 

San Elizario Chapel (San Elizario)

The San Elizario Chapel was named for the 13th Century French patron of the military St. Elzear.  It was established as part of the Spanish Military Garrison of Presidio de San Elzeario (also Elceario, later Elizario).  It was moved to this location in 1789 from its original location, 37 miles to the southeast, after floods from the Rio Grande damaged the original chapel.  It was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1962.

Old Socorro Mission Cemetary (Socorro)

This cemetary is located behind the Old Socorro Mission in Socorro, TX, about 1/2 mile off Highway 80, and about 5 miles east of El Paso city limits. The Socorro Mission is part of the El Paso Mission Trail which was established in 1683 by the Franciscan Priests an is still in use today. The cemetary itself is small in size when compared to other cemetaries in the area, but at first glance it is noticeable that it is very old. The photo above depicts a couple of wooden crosses that did not even have a name associated with the graves.

Ysleta Mission (El Paso)

La Mision de Corpus Christ de San Antonio de la Ysleta del Sur

Photo in HDR (High Dynamic Range)

This mission is part of the El Paso Mission trail. It was established in 1680 and is the oldest mission in Texas that is still being used today. Owing its heritage to Pueblo traditions, Franciscan Missionaries, and Spanish Colonial life in Northern New Mexico. The Ysleta Mission was established by Antonio de Otermin and Fray Francisco de Ayeta.

This is one of three mission along the El Paso Mission trail. I really enjoyed taking photos of this mission. During the post-processing of the photos taken and trying of different techniques, it was the use of HDR that seem to work best.