Arizona Missions

After we left Patagonia Lake State Park, we shifted gears for a while, heading north to visit two missions on our way to Tucson.

Tumacacori

An interesting building

The first, Tumacacori, is a National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. Situated on 360 acres, the park protects the ruins of three Spanish mission communities, only one of which is open to the public.

The Park includes the landmark 1937 Tumacácori Museum building

We visited Mission San José de Tumacácori, which was established in 1691 by Jesuit Padre Eusebio Kino in a different nearby location. It is the oldest Jesuit mission site in southern Arizona. Originally named Mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori, it was established at an existing native O'odham or Sobaipuri settlement on the east side of the Santa Cruz River. After the Pima rebellion of 1751, the mission was moved to the present site on the west side of the Santa Cruz River and renamed San José de Tumacácori. 

Native brick

By 1848, the mission was abandoned and began falling into severe disrepair. In 1854, it became a part of the U.S. Arizona Territory.

Adobe walls

Restoration and stabilization efforts began in 1908 when President Theodore Roosevelt declared the site Tumacácori National Monument. 

Close-up of a ramada

In 1990 it became part of the new Tumacácori National Historical Park.

The landscape was enhanced by spring flowers

Tumacácori Museum was built in 1937 within what was then Tumacácori National Monument and is now Tumacácori National Historical Park.

Lots of history

The mission building was originally brightly decorated and still has traces of paint on its walls.

Pretty detail

It was a gorgeous morning, there were only a few other people there, the spring flowers were blooming and the buildings and grounds were beautiful and peaceful. Just doesn't get any better.

Mission San Xavier del Bac

The next mission we visited, is still an active catholic church, so it is in much different condition. It's close to Tucson, so it was also much more crowded.

The iconic mission "look"

Located about 10 miles south of downtown Tucson on the Tohono O'odham San Xavier Indian Reservation, Mission San Xavier del Bac was founded in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino and named for the co-founder of the Jesuit Order, Francis Xavier. The original mission, built nearby in the early 1700s, served the community until razed by Apaches in 1770.

The current white stucco Moorish-inspired building was built between 1783-1797 and is the oldest European structure in Arizona. It is considered to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States.

Exterior and interior

In 1822, the Mission fell under the jurisdiction of the Catholic Diocese of Sonora, Mexico, and, in 1828, the Mexican government banned all Spanish-born priests, with the last resident Franciscan departing San Xavier for Spain in 1837.

Left vacant, the Mission began to decay. Concerned about their church, local Tohono O'odhams began to preserve what they could. With the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, San Xavier was brought under U.S. rule as part of the Territory of Arizona. The church was re-opened in 1859 when the Santa Fe Diocese added the Mission to its jurisdiction. In 1868, the Diocese of Tucson was established and regular services were held at the church once again.

Lion sculpture

San Xavier has an ornately decorated entrance with massive carved mesquite-wood doors. The interior features brightly colored paintings, carvings, frescoes and statues ...

Dazzling

... using a mixture of New Spain and Native American artistic motifs ...

Statues

Is that a door?

There is even a trompe l'oeil door in the sanctuary.

Extensive restoration in the late 20th century returned the Mission interior to its original state, with brilliant colors and complex designs. Cement-based stucco added in the 1980s trapped water inside the church and damaged some of its interior decorations, so it is being removed and replaced with traditional mud plaster incorporating pulp from the prickly pear cactus that allows excess water to escape.

Pink -- that's a new look

The Mission was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and is a pilgrimage site, with thousands visiting each year on foot and in horseback cavalcades.

Next to the main church is a small chapel.

Chapel

It houses statues of saints and candles used for special prayers.

Colorful

And, it had a cute little Ground Squirrel in the garden.

Round-tailed Ground Squirrel

Unlike other Spanish missions in Arizona, San Xavier is still actively run by Franciscans, and continues to serve the Native community by which it was built.

A beautiful mission

Trip date: February 22-29, 2016