In 1909 Bac underwent significant restoration to repair damage from neglect and the 1887 earthquake that also caused significant destruction. Led by Bishop Granjon, it was at this time that the buildings began to take on the look of what we can see at Bac today. By the 1950’s the bell tower had been struck by lightening and additional repairs were needed which led to a much needed re-stuccoing of the building, the reinforcement of key areas, and the replacement of the balustrades in the bell towers. A lightening rod was also installed to prevent future lightening strikes to the towers. Balconies were replaced and pilasters recast and re-installed on the façade in 1953. This same year, Tucson artist Henry Milan began to restore, or overpaint, the murals, paintings and trompe l’oile in the church interior. Unfortunately he used oils over the fresco and much of the original paintings were obscured making future restoration efforts difficult. (Metcalf, 1993) 1968 saw wiring installed and a complete white wash of the building, and in 1978 the Patranado San Xavier was formed to maintain and repair the church and its buildings. The 1990’s saw further restoration efforts to clean soot and grime from the retablo and other interior sculptures and paintings and a team was assembled from local artisans and restoration experts that had previously worked on the Vatican Sistine chapel restoration project.
In the before and after photographs of the Bac the retablo and main altar remain primarily in tact, they have jsut been cleaned and some paint retouched. When comparing early and recent photos side by side, the fundamental structure and nature of the Baroque altarpiece itself remains in tact.
Reconstruction at Caborca officially did not commence until 1957 when the building became a national monument primarily because of Crabb massacre and the efforts of the "heroic men and women of Caborca" who held off US interlopers seeking to expand US Territory. Restoration was completed as a memorial to was and not because it was a religious monument. (Roca, 1967) The South transept, apse and nave were rebuilt but little was done to recreate the interior as it once stood as a religious structure. In 1997 the site was given back to church and restoration efforts began shortly after in 2005 once enough money was raised to fund it. The 2009 restoration was completed in time for the bicentennial celebration of the Church 1809-2009 and in addition to the restoration of the interior space, the exterior was reinforced, paint scraped and cleaned to get to original layers, and the Rio Concepcion (formerly the Rio Asuncion) was rerouted and reinforced to protect the church from future flooding.(Duarte, 2009)
In the before and after photographs of Caborca's main altar a dramatic difference in style can be observed, which is definitely a return to the neo-classical.
Comparing the three photos of the North Transept from 1963, 1997 and 2009 significant changes can be observed. The 2009 Restoration shows new paint, the presumably modern sculpture removed, and some paint around broken pediment no longer visible. Perhaps it was a later addition and therefore removed to be true to the original intent of the architects and painters. It also seems that a bit of the curved arch over the North Transept side altar is what is mimicked here in the main altar restoration.
The skull and shell symbolizing Christ's triumph over death are one of the more distinct decorative motifs seen at Caborca. In these areas, that flank the interior main portal, the paint had worn thin and cleaning revealed colors below.
Finally, the contemporary images of both main altars today after restoration show how the differences in their Baroque and Neoclassic styles have become even more obvious. Both Churches are cared for by Patronado organizations attached to the Church which see to their maintenance and restoration and both are used as functional churches today. Bac is a part of the Tohono O’odham nation and is cared for by descendants of the natives who built it while Caborca today is active under diocese of Hermosillo, under Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria and both still continue to carry out the function and mission they originally designed for.
