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The mission of San Jose de Tumacacori was a northern outpost of a mission chain constructed by Franciscan priests in the late 1700's, on sites established by the Jesuits, in what was then the Province of Sonora. As a reminder that Spain was active on the frontier in the Southwest long before the United States became a nation, Tumacacori remains today an inspiring symbol of the faith, courage, and vigor of the early missionary priests and of the great loyalty and devotion of the Indian converts.
Father Kino and His Work
One of the greatest missionaries was Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, a Jesuit, who introduced European culture to this region. He founded his first Sonora mission in 1687, and explored and mapped the Upper Pima Indian country, now southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. Wherever he went, he spread the Christian doctrine, gained friends among the Indians, and established missions. He initiated ranching on this frontier by introducing cattle and other livestock. To such beginnings some of our thriving modern towns owe their existence.
Tumacacori History
The Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish dominions in 1767, and the following year the Franciscan Order took over the Sonora mission chain. About 1772, because of Apache Indian raids, Guevavi was abandoned and San Jose de Tumacacori became the headquarters for the missions of the district. Apparently, construction of the present church was not begun until nearly 1800. It was in use by 1822.
To the south, important events were occurring. Mexico won her independence from Spain in 1821. This change in government brought about abandonment of most of the frontier missions. The new government was unable to provide adequate military defense against hostile Indians. Mexico passed laws tending to weaken the power of the church, and mission churches were required to become parish churches. The close of the mission building period was further hastened when Mexico ended the Spanish custom of providing government money for mission aid.
Exactly when the last resident priest left Tumacacori is not known, although this area was under the jurisdiction of a nonresident priest as late as the 1840's. It is known that after the Spanish settlers, soldiers, and priests departed, frequent Apache raids made life here almost impossible. In 1844, Mexico sold the Tumacacori mission lands to a private citizen. When the devout Indians finally left Tumacacori in 1848, they carried the church furnishings with them to the mission of San Xavier, near Tucson, where some of the statues are still in use.
The church, deserted, slowly began to fall into ruins. Treasure hunters and the eroding elements gradually wrought havoc with the beautiful structure, until only its massiveness preserved it from complete destruction.
The Mission Buildings
Various old descriptions and drawings of Tumacacori show the buildings to have been arranged with the long axis of the church running north and south. To the east was a closed courtyard, surrounded by arcades and rooms; here were the quarters of the priests, storerooms, workshops, granaries, and classrooms.
North of the church is the cemetery where many Christian Indians are buried. An unfinished circular mortuary chapel dominates this area. After abandonment, the cemetery was often used as a corral. Grave mounds of the mission period have long since been destroyed by weather, milling cattle, and treasure hunters. Today, the visible grave mounds are those of later Mexican-American burials.
The church still stands, although the courtyard structures long ago fell almost entirely into ruin. In 1921, some repair work was done to the old buildings and walls to protect them against weather, a new roof was placed over the long nave, and lesser repairs were made to other parts. Repair work since that date has been limited entirely to preserving existing original construction.
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