Philipp Segesser

September 1, 1689 (age 73)

Lucerne, Switzerland

He became a teacher at Altötting on 16 September 1721, and in 1722 was transferred to a teaching post in Straubing. In 1726 he took his final vows in Neuburg an der Donau, making a lifetime commitment to the Jesuits. In 1727 he became a missionary near Dillingen. Segesser learned in April 1729 that he had been accepted for a mission in After a long and difficult journey with several lengthy delays, traveling via Genoa, Cadiz, Seville, Santo Domingo and Havana he finally reached Veracruz on 19 April 1731. He traveled north, reached Sonora early in October and on 7–8 May 1732 reached the final destination of the Mission San Xavier del Bac. Segesser spent nearly thirty years as a missionary in different parts of the Pimería Alberta Segesser and his fellow missionaries had to overcome what the Jesuits saw as barbaric practices. They also had to deal with the severe climate, where drought destroyed their plantations in some years, and in another year flooding from the Yaqui River destroyed entire mission villages. In 1734 he moved from the Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi to Cucurpe to recover from an illness. From 1750 to 1754 he was visitator of Sonora. In 1755 he became missionary superior. He died on 28 September 1762 in Ures at a time when his mission was suffering severe damage from attacks by Apaches and Seris. Segesser was hard-working, practical and effective. He wrote many letters that described his daily life and the geography, fauna and flora of Sonora. They give valuable information about the local people and their lifestyle, including their beliefs, culture and way of life. They depict Spaniards, Frenchmen, Oto, Pawnee, Apache and Pueblo Indians. They provide important information on the dress and weapons of Plains Indian fighters. The paintings appear to depict the 1720 battle near the Loup River between the Villasur expedition and a force of Pawnees and Otoes. Segesser gave no indication of how he had acquired the paintings or of their significance, simply calling them "curiosities". Over the years the buffalo hide paintings were moved from one Swiss castle to another, and were cut so they could fit the available space. Eventually they were discovered for what they are, and moved to the Sante Fe Museum of New Mexico.

Philipp Segesser

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Missionary

Background

Philipp Anton Segesser von Brunegg was born on 1 September 1689 in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Education

Segesser completed his studies in 1721, and celebrated his first mass as a priest on 8 June 1721.

Career

He became a teacher at Altötting on 16 September 1721, and in 1722 was transferred to a teaching post in Straubing. In 1726 he took his final vows in Neuburg an der Donau, making a lifetime commitment to the Jesuits. In 1727 he became a missionary near Dillingen.

Segesser learned in April 1729 that he had been accepted for a mission in After a long and difficult journey with several lengthy delays, traveling via Genoa, Cadiz, Seville, Santo Domingo and Havana he finally reached Veracruz on 19 April 1731.

He traveled north, reached Sonora early in October and on 7–8 May 1732 reached the final destination of the Mission San Xavier del Bac. Segesser spent nearly thirty years as a missionary in different parts of the Pimería Alberta

Segesser and his fellow missionaries had to overcome what the Jesuits saw as barbaric practices. They also had to deal with the severe climate, where drought destroyed their plantations in some years, and in another year flooding from the Yaqui River destroyed entire mission villages.

In 1734 he moved from the Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi to Cucurpe to recover from an illness.

From 1750 to 1754 he was visitator of Sonora. In 1755 he became missionary superior. He died on 28 September 1762 in Ures at a time when his mission was suffering severe damage from attacks by Apaches and Seris.

Segesser was hard-working, practical and effective.

He wrote many letters that described his daily life and the geography, fauna and flora of Sonora. They give valuable information about the local people and their lifestyle, including their beliefs, culture and way of life.

They depict Spaniards, Frenchmen, Oto, Pawnee, Apache and Pueblo Indians. They provide important information on the dress and weapons of Plains Indian fighters.

The paintings appear to depict the 1720 battle near the Loup River between the Villasur expedition and a force of Pawnees and Otoes.

Segesser gave no indication of how he had acquired the paintings or of their significance, simply calling them "curiosities". Over the years the buffalo hide paintings were moved from one Swiss castle to another, and were cut so they could fit the available space. Eventually they were discovered for what they are, and moved to the Sante Fe Museum of New Mexico.

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