Tumacacori |
| More than 300 years ago, Spaniards were moving north into what is now Mexico and Arizona, and one place they stopped was Tumacacori. Today at Tumacacori, 22 miles south of Green Valley, there's a national park that includes remnants of Spanish mission churches and the grounds where early settlers lived and farmed. There's a 19th century Franciscan church in excellent shape and the outline of the Jesuit church that preceded it. There's a beautiful garden at the visitor center, a burial ground, and granary where produce from the summer was stored for winter consumption. There is a small museum at the visitor center and view of the majestic church, with it's small statue of Father Eusebio Kino, the famed Padre on horseback, who founded the mission in 1691. As the Spanish were moving north into this area, the Sobaipuri Indians wanted to hear about them and their religion. They then asked Kino to establish a mission. The first church was believed to be little more than shelter on the east side of the Santa Cruz River. It was called a visita, a small branch church of the one at Guevavi, a few miles to the south. But hostile Indians were a problem and in 1752, the Spanish erected a fort at Tubac, four miles to the north. The Tumacacori mission was moved west across the river to be closer to the soldiers. The Jesuits built a church later, when the king of Spain evicted them from the New World. The Franciscans who followed stated work on the church that still stands. That was about 1800. Work proceded intermittently as Mexico was established in many of the former Spanish lands. Eventually, the church and most of the nearby areas were abandonded sometime after 1848 due to increasing Indian attacks. The area became part of the United States after the Gadsden purchase in 1853-54. The church fell in to disuse and in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt issued a proclamation making it a national monument. The present Tumacacori National Historical Park includes much of the old mission lands which were farmed by settlers and two mission churches to the south, Guevavi and Calabasas. They can only be visited on special tours led by the Tumacacori staff. The park is open daily except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Several nights during the year when the moon is full, the grounds are opened at night for a special event. There are at least two special Masses a year and participants dress in colonial-period attire. On Christmas eve, the church and many of the buildings and walls are lit by luminarias. Hundreds turn out and are served hot chocolate. |
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| Excerpt from Discover Southern Arizona 2005 |