And here we are today using the very same lime mortar the original builders used. That's the neatest part of this work - feeling a connection with the past. The efforts of Morales, president of Morales Restoration and Builders Inc., are part of a long, painstaking crusade to preserve the church and its treasures. Watch video of the restoration Click on the icons below to see the work on the rooftop of the mission using RealPlayer . See the inside staircase of the bell tower as Danny Morales explains how the adobe brick walls were built 200 years ago.
Morales shows how the original bell tower has eroded.
From the bell level of the tower, Morales discusses damage caused by concrete additions to the church. A close look at the deterioration of the roof's trimming and how the decor will be restored. Morales demonstrates how soft certain adobe bricks have become after 200 years. Visit the mission and deposit a donation in designated containers in the church. The building, founded by Roman Catholic missionaries and completed in 1797, was constructed of burnt adobe bricks and natural lime plaster.