Last updated: April 10, 2024
Place
Mission San Xavier del Bac
NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
W:ac, Arizona
Significance:
Indigenous history, Spanish Colonial Historic Site, Anza Expedition Camp #17
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
6 listed
Gifts/Souvenirs/Books, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Parking - Auto, Restroom, Scenic View/Photo Spot
Mission San Xavier del Bac was under Franciscan control when the Anza Expedition stopped here on October 25, 1775. It was established by Jesuit Father Eusebio Kino in 1692 at the site of an existing Akimel O'odham village. Father Thomás Eixarch of the expedition baptized baby José Antonio Capistrano Féliz whose mother had died during childbirth the previous day.
Before Father Kino established the mission, the site was an O'odham village of "W:ac," which was changed to "Bac" by the Spanish. "W:ac is the O'odham word for 'where it goes' in or 'to submerge' (wachkk), referring to the place on the Santa Cruz River where the water submerges into the ground."1 This site has been O'odham land for centuries and the current mission site is located on the San Xavier Reservation, part of the larger Tohono O'odham Nation. Please respect this land and the people when visiting this site.
The gleaming white facade of the mission church is a striking feature on the desert landscape. Called the "White Dove of the Desert," San Xavier Del Bac is one of the most beautiful mission church complexes in the Southwest. The original mission was founded in 1692 by a Jesuit missionary, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, at the Wa:c village of the O'odham. The present church was built by the Franciscans between 1783-1797. Of Baroque design, the large stucco church has two bell towers, one of, which is incomplete. The church's beautiful front portal is decorated with scrolled ornaments and sculptures and virtually the entire interior is covered with elaborately painted and sculpted surfaces.2
Tours of the mission grounds and church are occasionally offered through Patronato San Xavier, a non-profit conservation group. Self-guided tours of the church are available and an open air craft market can be found on select weekends. Contact the site to learn about regulations, site closures, and admission. The mission church, an active parish, also has a museum and small gift store.
1Deni Seymour, San Xavier del Bac, Wa:k O'odhem, and Wa:k Ge'echu, http://www.seymourharlan.com/My_Homepage_Files/Page71.html "(accessed May 2021)
2NPS, Discover Our Shared Heritage, American Southwest, A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary, San Xavier Del Bac: https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/amsw/sw6.htm (accessed May 2021)