- The morning after arriving in Santa Fe, Latour feels comfort in knowing he's close to his cathedral, which will eventually become his tomb, since he plans on being buried inside it when he dies.
- Santa Fe is very different compared to when he first arrived. It used to be barren desert. But now there's a railroad that can take you right into New Mexico. The bishop thinks about how much history has been made since he first arrived many years ago.
- The archbishop realizes that he has always needed New Mexico ever since he came to it, and he would never allow himself to leave until the day he dies. He feels that there's no longer any separation between the landscape and the beating of his heart.