Jesuit Church Footprint

The second of three churches of Mission Tumacácori

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Tumacácori mission grounds

Amenities

1 listed

Wheelchair Accessible

Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino first celebrated Mass at Tumacácori in 1691 under a ramada (shade structure) built by the O'odham who were living here. At that time, the village was located on the other side of the Santa Cruz River. Although he chose Guevavi to be the cabecera (headquarters) where the priest would live, he and other priests continued to visit Tumacácori, sing the Mass, and tend to mission business. There is no record of an adobe church having been built while the village was on the east side of the river.  

In November of 1751, a group of O'odham led by Captain General Luis Oacpicagigua (“Ahk-pee-ah-CUK-ya”) rebelled against the Spanish and Yoeme who had moved into their land. The resulting conflict caused the abandonment of mission communities for over a year. 

The Spanish began construction of a presidio, a military outpost, at Tubac. When everyone returned, the village of Tumacácori was moved to the present location nearer to and on the same side of the river as the new presidio. 

The outline that you see before you marks the footprint of the community’s first church, begun in the spring of 1753. The date of its completion is uncertain, but it is known to have been in use by the summer of 1757. 

This small church remained under the management of Jesuit priests until they were expelled in 1767. A year later the Franciscans arrived to carry on the mission project in the Pimería Alta. They continued to use this building until the new church was ready for use in 1822.