The deeply recessed entrance portal is framed with a low unstilted classic arch. Its aged wooden doors are hewn from solid mesquite, swung on original hand-made hinges, and fastened with locks and bolts of the same period. The spandrels of the portal arch are adorned with rich floral arabesques. The portal is flanked by double columns, elaborately molded and decorated, and engaged to the face of broad pilasters. These columns are repeated in a superimposed ordinance flanking a central window. The window, admitting light to the choir loft within, has a delicate wooden balcony which casts a deep shadow over the entrance portal below. It is crowned with a large shell motif, symbolic of pilgrimage or baptism. Two other balconies of similar design accent the base of each tower at the same level. Decorative niched figures are placed between the columns. The upper figure on the left, with crown and royal robes, is variously described as representing either King Charles III of Spain or Saint Catherine. The black-robed figure below, though nearly effaced, is judged to be that of a lady saint. The upper figure on the right, with tambourine, is a representation of Saint Cecelia; the figure below, often blackened by the grease dripping from the candles of pious Indians who affirm that the saint cures their sore eyes, is thought to be an image of Saint Lucy. The gable of the entrance pavilion, in the form of a broken scroll pediment, is adorned with the arms of the Franciscan order, executed in high relief. The coat of arms consists of an escutcheon with a white ground against which are displayed a twisted cord, part of the Franciscan dress, and a cross bearing one arm of Jesus and one of Saint Francis. To the right of the escutcheon is the monogram of Jesus and to the left that of the Virgin. In the decoration above are two small Lions of Castile, and bunches of grapes signifying fertility. A broken bust of Saint Francis of Assisi surmounts the pediment. Regarding the facade as a whole one is impressed with the striking contrast between the blank surfaces of the smooth outer walls and towers, and the concentrated decoration of the few wall openings. Over each of the lower windows in the towers is a delicate relief almost monastic in its simplicity. These windows are grilled with slender wooden spindles in the traditional Spanish manner.