Arizona MissionsDiscover the State's Historic Past at the
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The missions preserve a part of Arizona's history that many have forgotten – its Spanish Colonial heritage.
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| San Xavier Mission, Tucson AZ is one of only four remaining Spanish missions in Arizona |
History of Spanish Missions Arizona
Long before Arizona became part of the United States, it was home to several indigenous groups including the Tohono O’odham, the Sobaipuri, the Pima and the Apaches.These agrarian and hunter-gatherer cultures lived along the Santa Cruz and San Pedro Rivers - and throughout the Sonoran Desert - for several centuries before the arrival of Anglos into what is now Southern Arizona.
The first Europeans to arrive in the Southwest were the Spanish Conquistadors.
As they conquered the Americas, they were soon followed by the Jesuit missionaries.
By order of the Spanish government, the Jesuits were sent to "New Spain" to create a series of missions with the goal of converting the indigenous people into devout, tax-paying Christians.
One of the most well-known of these Jesuits was Father Eusebio Francisco Kino.
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| This painting at San Xavier Mission depicts a Spanish priest arriving in the New World |
Father Kino and AZ Missions
Father Kino was the first person to start missions in Arizona.Kino was Italian-born and was an accomplished cartographer and astronomer.
He traveled through the region between 1683 and 1711, introducing new crops, such as wheat, grapes and olives, domesticated cattle and sheep and establishing ranches as well as missions.
Father Kino worked to forge cooperation between the various Piman Indian groups, built self-sufficient mission pueblos, promoted apprenticeships of artisans and other trades and laid the foundation for modern agriculture and livestock raising in the Southwest.
Over several years, Kino founded a series of more than 20 Spanish missions throughout the Pimería Alta - the region now known as Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora, Mexico.
These early missions were often simple, rustic structures. Later, the padres built more elaborate churches as funds became available.
Father Kino died in 1711 and did not live to see many of the mission churches he founded.
Very few of the Pimería Alta missions survived into the 21st century. Only four Arizona missions remain.
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| The church at Tumacácori National Historic Park, site of Arizona’s first Spanish mission |
The most famous of these is the beautiful San Xavier del Bac Mission - also known as the "White Dove of the Desert," in Tucson.
A few miles south of San Xavier is Tumacácori National Historical Park in the scenic Santa Cruz Valley.
This park preserves the three other remaining missions of Father Kino: San José de Tumacácori, Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi and San Cayetano de Calabazas.
We think a visit to any of these missions makes for a fascinating outing.
They provide us with an opportunity to understand the difficulties and complexities of the past and how Arizona’s indigenous peoples and its new arrivals shaped the area into the multicultural melting pot that it is today.
Click here to see a Map of Arizona Missions
Click on the links below for more information about Arizona missions.
Though over two centuries old, this Arizona mission is still a fully functioning parish church. The "White Dove of the Desert" attracts the faithful and the curious to see its amazing interior filled with beautiful gilt work, gloriously-colored frescoes and over 300 angels.
Tumacácori National Historic Park
The park protects three of the four remaining Arizona missions of Father Kino: San José de Tumacácori, Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi and San Cayetano de Calabazas. This serene park lies near the Santa Cruz River and makes a great outing for both history buffs and nature lovers.
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