Misión San Agustin de Isleta

This church complex, located near Albuquerque, New Mexico, once belonged to a network of Spanish colonial missions. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the region that comprises the Southwetern United States became a borderlands between territories claimed by Spanish, French, English, and indigenous groups. The objective of the Spanish missionaries was the evangelization of native peoples who resided in this area. Throughout its history, they faced obstacles of famine, natural disaster, and violence from warring indigenous groups. The adobe structure that stands today was originally built in the early 1600s by Franciscan friars. It has been repaired and renovated over time.