Title: Tumacacori National Monument, Arizona
Author: Anonymous
Language: English
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    [Illustration: Tumacacori]



                              _Tumacacori_
                      NATIONAL MONUMENT • ARIZONA


    [Illustration: Mission door.]

_A typical frontier mission church which illustrates Spanish colonial
endeavor and commemorates the introduction of Christianity into what is
now southern Arizona._


To hold the far-flung frontiers of the Spanish Empire of 250 years ago
in South Central America and Mexico and to bring Christian civilization
to hundreds of native tribes, Spain sent soldiers and missionary priests
into the wilderness. Missions were founded among the settled tribes, and
presidios (military posts) were set up on the borders of the hostile
tribes. The frontier missions were both churches and centers of European
culture and civilization. By such means, the outlying provinces of
Spanish America were extended and secured.

The mission of San Jose de Tumacacori was a northern outpost of a
mission chain constructed by Franciscan priests in the late 1700’s, on
sites established by the Jesuits, in what was then the Province of
Sonora. As a reminder that Spain was active on the frontier in the
Southwest long before the United States became a nation, Tumacacori
remains today an inspiring symbol of the faith, courage, and vigor of
the early missionary priests and of the great loyalty and devotion of
the Indian converts.


Father Kino and His Work

One of the greatest missionaries was Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, a
Jesuit, who introduced European culture to this region. He founded his
first Sonora mission in 1687, and explored and mapped the Upper Pima
Indian country, now southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico.
Wherever he went, he spread the Christian doctrine, gained friends among
the Indians, and established missions. He initiated ranching on this
frontier by introducing cattle and other livestock. To such beginnings
some of our thriving modern towns owe their existence.

    [Illustration: _Mission church prior to stabilization_]


Tumacacori History

Father Kino came first into what is now southern Arizona in 1691, when
he visited, at the request of the inhabitants, the small Pima village of
Tumacacori, which he called San Cayetano. The village was a few miles
from the site of the present mission. He said Mass under a brush shelter
built by the Indians for that purpose. By 1698, according to Father
Kino, Tumacacori had an “earth-roofed house of adobe,” fields of wheat,
and herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. At every opportunity he and his
successors visited Tumacacori to hold services and to encourage ranching
and farming. When a missionary was assigned to Guevavi, to the
southeast, Tumacacori became a _visita_ of that mission, that is, a
place where the missionaries went and occasionally held services. After
the Pima Rebellion of 1751, the village was moved to the site where the
mission now stands. It was renamed San Jose de Tumacacori. A small
mission was erected here and a presidio was established at Tubac, 3
miles north of Tumacacori.

The Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish dominions in 1767, and the
following year the Franciscan Order took over the Sonora mission chain.
About 1772, because of Apache Indian raids, Guevavi was abandoned and
San Jose de Tumacacori became the headquarters for the missions of the
district. Apparently, construction of the present church was not begun
until nearly 1800. It was in use by 1822.

    [Illustration: _Diorama in the monument museum_]

To the south, important events were occurring. Mexico won her
independence from Spain in 1821. This change in government brought about
abandonment of most of the frontier missions. The new government was
unable to provide adequate military defense against hostile Indians.
Mexico passed laws tending to weaken the power of the church, and
mission churches were required to become parish churches. The close of
the mission building period was further hastened when Mexico ended the
Spanish custom of providing government money for mission aid.

Exactly when the last resident priest left Tumacacori is not known,
although this area was under the jurisdiction of a nonresident priest as
late as the 1840’s. It is known that after the Spanish settlers,
soldiers, and priests departed, frequent Apache raids made life here
almost impossible. In 1844, Mexico sold the Tumacacori mission lands to
a private citizen. When the devout Indians finally left Tumacacori in
1848, they carried the church furnishings with them to the mission of
San Xavier, near Tucson, where some of the statues are still in use.

The church, deserted, slowly began to fall into ruins. Treasure hunters
and the eroding elements gradually wrought havoc with the beautiful
structure, until only its massiveness preserved it from complete
destruction.


The Mission Buildings

Various old descriptions and drawings of Tumacacori show the buildings
to have been arranged with the long axis of the church running north and
south. To the east was a closed courtyard, surrounded by arcades and
rooms; here were the quarters of the priests, storerooms, workshops,
granaries, and classrooms.

North of the church is the cemetery where many Christian Indians are
buried. An unfinished circular mortuary chapel dominates this area.
After abandonment, the cemetery was often used as a corral. Grave mounds
of the mission period have long since been destroyed by weather, milling
cattle, and treasure hunters. Today, the visible grave mounds are those
of later Mexican-American burials.

    [Illustration: _The monument patio_]

The church still stands, although the courtyard structures long ago fell
almost entirely into ruin. In 1921, some repair work was done to the old
buildings and walls to protect them against weather, a new roof was
placed over the long nave, and lesser repairs were made to other parts.
Repair work since that date has been limited entirely to preserving
existing original construction.

Today, you may examine in great detail the features of this stately old
building, seeing the many interesting structural elements of the baroque
architecture and the faded but original colors which the Indian workmen
applied. The unfinished bell tower of burned brick speaks eloquently of
how the last Franciscans tried in vain to complete the church.


About Your Visit

The monument, 48 miles south of Tucson and 18 miles north of Nogales on
U.S. 89, is accessible by paved road throughout the year. Buses plying
between these cities pass several times daily. The nearest rail
connections and commercial airport are in Tucson.

The monument is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Self-guiding walks lead
through the museum and church, the principal features. A member of the
National Park Service staff is on hand to answer questions.

The Federal Recreation Area Entrance Permit will admit the driver and
passengers of a private vehicle, or the purchaser regardless of mode of
travel. Daily and monthly permits can also be purchased.

The monument office and museum are in a building next to the parking
area. Constructed in the Sonora mission style, it houses exhibits that
depict facets of early Indian and Spanish history. Maps, dioramas,
drawings, and photographs bring Tumacacori to life. A patio garden and
fountain are part of the museum grounds.

Sales publications describing the region’s history and natural history
are available in the museum lobby.

Picnic grounds are nearby, but there are no campgrounds.

No real extremes of heat or cold normally occur here, but if you visit
in winter, you should bring warm clothing. During years of normal
rainfall, vegetation blooms in early spring and late summer; most
species of cactus and yucca bloom from March through May.


Administration

Tumacacori National Monument, containing 10 acres, was established in
1908. The monument, which is no longer connected with any religious
order, is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of
the Interior.

The National Park System, of which this area is a unit, is dedicated to
conserving the scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United
States for the benefit and inspiration of its people.

A superintendent, whose address is Tumacacori, Ariz. 85640, is in
immediate charge of the monument.


America’s Natural Resources

Created in 1849, the Department of the Interior—America’s Department of
Natural Resources—is concerned with the management, conservation, and
development of the Nation’s water, wildlife, mineral, forest, and park
and recreational resources. It also has major responsibilities for
Indian and Territorial affairs.

As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department works to
assure that nonrenewable resources are developed and used wisely, that
park and recreational resources are conserved for the future, and that
renewable resources make their full contribution to the progress,
prosperity, and security of the United States—now and in the future.

    [Illustration: TUMACACORI NATIONAL MONUMENT
    ARIZONA]

  LIME KILN
  NORTH BOUNDARY
  MISSION
  IRRIGATION DITCH
  CEMETERY
  MORTUARY
  GATE
  WEST BOUNDARY WALL
  MISSION ORCHARD
  MISSION PATIO
  MISSION CISTERNS
  EAST BOUNDARY FENCE
  MONUMENT HEADQUARTERS
  MUSEUM
  COMFORT STATION
  SOUTH BOUNDARY WALL

  National Park Service Buildings
  Mission Buildings above ground
  Plan of Original Patio Structures

    [Illustration: Vicinity Map
    Note.—All distances are from Monument Headquarters]

    [Illustration: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL
    PARK SERVICE]

Reprint 1966
                       U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1966 OF—224-721



                          Transcriber’s Notes


—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
  is public-domain in the country of publication.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
  _underscores_.





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