NPS Photo The Iglesia de San Isidro is the earlier of two churches at Gran Quivira. Built between 1630 and 1635 of limestone quarried on site, the church measured 109 feet long by 29 feet wide. Iglesia de San Isidro was very similar in design to the church at Abó. A campo santo, or walled cemetery, is attached to the structure just east of the church. The Iglesia de San Isidro was a focus of treasure hunters following the abandonment of Gran Quivira. In the 1930s, Jacobo Yrisarri excavated a deep shaft in the apse of the church then tunneled towards the San Buenaventura Church. Southwest National Monument's Superintendent Frank "Boss" Pinkley reported going into the treasure shaft prior to its closure in 1940. San Isidro was first excavated and stabilized in 1951 by NPS archeologist Gordon Vivian. Salinas Pueblo Missions continues to stabilize the structure on an approximately five year schedule. 
SAPU Museum Collection |
Last updated: February 27, 2021