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Tumacacori Mission

When we visited Tumacacori Mission, we had already heard of Padre Eusebio Kino, a Spanish monk who founded dozens of missions in the northern part of New Spain, including three that we visited in the San Antonio surroundings, two that we visited here in Arizona south of Tucson, and a half dozen more that we eventually visited in Mexico on our second visit there.

We arrived at Tumacacori just in time to eat a late picnic lunch at a table just outside of the mission compound. The whole place was very quiet and we were happy to be outside, even though it was hot and a bit sticky because a thunderstorm was building.

Tumacacori Mission

Here you can see the restored remains of the Mission church, and some half-restored outbuildings. We both found the place very atmospheric. Easy to imagine oneself back in the seventeenth century as you wandered through the remains of the mission buildings and yet hard to understand the difficulties these early spreaders of the gospel faced.

Tumacacori Mission

Of course, part of the atmospherics was the enormous black cloud that enveloped the sky as the thunderstorm came ever closer. In the southwest they call these storms, the monsoon. It struck me as funny at first, but seasonal rains they are: they can be ferocious, but usually don't last too long. This one built all afternoon, broke just before we were ready to leave and was over by the time we did.

Tumacacori Mission

We were impressed by all of the missions, but have to say that the extra resources available in the US certainly show when it comes to the quality of the preservation and restoration work that can be done even at small sites like these missions.

Tumacacori Mission

This is a nice detail, household utensils hanging on a tree. These are the details that make the place seem real.

Padre Kino

Padre Kino

The small museum was also very nice, including this lovely bronze statue of Padre Kino. He is often depicted on horseback like in this lifesize statue in Tucson, as that is how he visited all of the missions he founded, riding miles and miles in the Sonoran desert.

Tumacacori Mission