Tumacácori National Historical Park!

Tumacácori National Historic Park
What is it? Tumacácori National Historic Park preserves one of the oldest and best surviving Spanish missions in Arizona!
What makes it historical? The original inhabitants of this area called themselves the Sobaipuri, and they called this place Tumacácori. Whether that was a description of their rocky surroundings or a place to find chiles, no one today really knows. What we do know is that Jesuit Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino visited this site in 1691, found it suitable to build a mission, and added Mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori to his growing list of missions (twenty-four by the end of his career)!

Mission San Cayetano lasted until November 21, 1751 when a revolt by the O’odham people, which included the Sobaipuri, shut down the mission system in Arizona. The mission moved across the Santa Cruz River and became the San José de Tumacácori that we see today!

The main mission church is built in an Egyptian-Moorish style and was once brightly colored. It even incorporated some of the scallop shell decorations that I grew to love along El Camino de Santiago de Compostela!

How can I Help the Helpers? HERE’S HOW:

Where is this place? 1891 East Frontage Road
Tumacacori, AZ 85640

From Flagstaff: ~304mi (490km) — 5.1hrs
From Phoenix: ~161mi (260km) — 2.7hrs
From Tucson: ~53mi (86km) — 0.9hrs
From Yuma: ~285mi (459km) — 4.8hrs

When should I go? The park is open daily from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, except on major holidays!

Click here to read about my experience in this park!

Tumacácori National Historic Park

Tumacácori National Historic Park

Tumacácori National Historic Park

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