I expected to see Moroccan design influences during my trip to Arizona. The desert climate is perfect for tile, cement/adobe houses, and water fountains. A pleasant surprise was an unplanned trip to Mission San Xavier del Bac on the Tohono O’odham Indian reservation. Built in 1777, this active Catholic church has been called the Sistine chapel of the United States. I had never heard of it before. It was beautiful and well-worth the visit.

I was surprised to see a straight-forward geometric pattern in a building filled with Christian iconography. Not only was the lower half of the wall covered in a geometric print, but the pews were fashioned with half-circles at the top. It gave the affect of waves of people even when the church was empty. The same pattern was used on the iron work of a nearby gate. The church also included symbolism used by the Tohono O’odham tribe, such as a figure facing a labyrinth, representing the journey through life.

Overall, the Moroccan influences I saw in Arizona were diluted by Spanish and Mexican influences. Iconography from both cultures, especially Mexico, tended to override the geometric rhythms characteristic of Moroccan design. The painted wall in San Xavier was very Moroccan in that it held true to shape, pattern, and color alone. I have seen the same pattern used in Moroccan zillij.

It isn’t difficult to imagine how this pattern migrated from Moorish Spain to a Spanish Catholic mission in Mexico/United States. Despite its Islamic feel, the pattern was appropriate for the space. The use of primary colors and the emphasis on the pattern of three communicates the Catholic idea of the trinity.

Yahoo News’ main story at the moment is “Muslims more numerous than Catholics.” I had read that Muslims were more numerous than Catholics several years ago, but the statistics are evidently news. A quote from the article reads “For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us,” Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano.”

Islam has “overtaken” Christian Europe at various points in history. Islamic artistic achievements in Europe peaked around the 11th century in Spain. Islamic art, science, architecture, and philosophy were catalysts for the Renaissance and subsequent era of European development.

The two religions, Catholicism/Christianity and Islam, have influenced each other for centuries. Muslims respect Christians as “People of the Book” and have allowed Christians to practice their faith freely within Islamic political structures. Christians, as previously mentioned, have been influenced by Islamic achievements in science and arts. The Yahoo article highlights the tension between these faiths as expressed by the interviewers use of the word “overtaken.” At various points in history, Islam displayed greater might and higher intellectual achievements than Christendom. The real tension between Islam and Christianity now is about recognition.

In a Catholic church in the desert Southwest, these two great religions have found a way to recognize on another. The lovely architecture of Mission San Xavier show through its design how monotheistic faith can be shared. Islamic art is capable of supporting the meditative reflection of Christian ideology.