Tumacacori

It is hard to believe but this is what the priests had intended that Tumacacori look like upon completion. Due to factors beyond their control the priests were never able to bring the church to this stage of completion. (National Park Service).

THE SPANIARDS OF THE Sixteenth century were remarkably tenacious in their endeavor to conquer México. Cortés and his handful of conquistadores, by the aid of intrigue and hard fighting, completely changed the course of history on the American continents. The fall of the most important city of México, now known as Mexico City, was only the beginning of successes from one end of the Americas to the other. The new rulers of México imposed their laws, religions, customs and to a large extent their language upon the conquered peoples. By the end of the seventeenth century we find that Spanish conquest had penetrated to the area now known as the Southwest. The Spanish crown and the Catholic church, working hand in hand, gave their culture to one tribe after another. Of the many beautiful mission churches that once flourished in northern New Spain only two now remain in fairly complete condition in what is southern Arizona.

San José de Tumacacori and San Xavier del Bac are familiar names to everyone interested in the Spanish history of the Southwest. San Xavier is still under control of the Catholic church with the Order of St. Francis in charge while Tumacacori, long since abandoned by the church and the Indians, is now preserved by the Federal Government as National Monument under the National Park Service. Tumacacori National Monument is visited by many thousands of people annually. Just forty-eight miles south of Tucson, U. S. Highway 89 passes the gates of Tumacacori Mission. A colorful colonial Spanish-type museum and administration building adjacent to the parking area greet the visitor as he draws up to the curb. Hand-carved church-like doors set in a shellshaped arch guard the portals of one of the finest small museums on this continent. After registering and paying the admission fee the visitor is introduced to many of the famous characters of the period of Spanish colonization in the Southwest. The lives of such priests as Eusebio Francisco Kino, Francisco Garcés, and Pedro Font; and the soldiers, Lieutenant Mange and Captain Bautista de Anza, are unfolded as he talks to the National Park Service man or studies the museum exhibits. The sacred ground on which these men trod is passed over lightly as the old mission is viewed, but thoughts go back to the days when the Apaches lurked in the nearby canyons waiting for the unlucky person who might come their way. Visitors shudder to think of what might have been Even in its ruined condition Tumacacori is still massive and impressive.

their fate had they lived during the centuries long past. A few years ago a newsworthy visitor on his first hurried tour through the west visited Tumacacori and ran through the usual stock of questions so fast that the custodian barely had time to catch his breath between answers. "How old is the mission?" asked the visitor. "Father Kino visited the village and named it San Cayetano de Tumacacori in January, 1691," replied the custodian. "How is the name of the mission pronounced?" continued the visitor. "It is pronounced Too-ma-ká-kori," replied the custodian. "How did the mission get into the hands of the Federal Government and not cared for by the church as has been the mission of San Xavier near Tucson?" "This mission was abandoned by both the Indians and priests," replied the custodian, "between the years 1830 and 1840 because of constant Apache raids. It was never reoccupied by either the church or the Indians who had moved all of their own property and the church belongings to San Xavier. Consequently, when Americans traveled through this country in early days, they always spoke of the mission as being in ruins even as early as 1849. In 1908 The red brick bell tower is still as strong as the day it was erected.

President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the mission ruins a National Monument.

"What does the word Tumacacori mean?"

"It is an Indian word and seems to mean 'slanting rocks' or 'the mountain that leans over.' To the west of the mission is such a phenomenon."

These are the usual questions that many visitors ask when they arrive. Then there are a few who ask why anyone ever built a church so far from a town or so far from the railroad. The custodian has to slip quickly over these questions and say that there were many Indians living here at the time just as though he did not hear the part about the railroad.

Ida Flood Dodge, an Arizona poet known to all Arizonans who have studied history in schools of the state, has aptly caught the feeling of Tumacacori in the following short verses:

OLD TUMACACORI

Oh crumbling walls of sun-dried brick Of Tumacacori, We see thee slumbering in the sun. Thy youth is past, thy work is done, Thy rest deserved, still slumbering on, Old Tumacacori.

Time was when these old crumbling walls, Oh Tumacacori, Reared high their heads; a fortress strong, A haven safe. Thy people's song Of praise to thee was chanted long Old Tumacacori.

For years how well thy faith was kept, Old Tumacacori, Then came thy death. From vale and hill Apache hordes, with war cries shrill, Their flame tipped arrows left thee still, Old Tumacacori.

Oh crumbling walls of sun-dried brick, Old Tumacacori, Sleep on, nor think thy day is spent. Thy deeds still live; thy walls, 'though rent, Still stand, a living monument, Old Tumacacori.

The fine old mission building still rears its rugged walls above the fertile floor of the Santa Cruz Valley. The unfinished bell tower of burned brick tells almost without words how the last Franciscan fathers tried in vain to complete the church maps made by Kino and from the diary of his soldier companion, againstodds which they were powerless to conquer. The sacred Lieutenant Mange, that the village of Tumacacori in 1699 was interior, long since vandalized by renegade and unthinking on the east bank of the Santa Cruz River. The present building Mexicans and Americans, was exquisitely decis on the west side of the river. All evidence orated in bright colors by the loving hands of of the kind of chapel originally built on that the Sobaipuri Indians. location has long since disappeared. For a great many years the saint's name of TumaThis building is not, however, the same one cacori was San Cayetano. Exactly when the that was erected during the days of Father saints name was changed to San José or Kino. Fathers Eusebio Kino and Juan María when the church was moved to the west bank de Salvatierra first visited the little village of of the Santa Cruz cannot be ascertained from Tumacacori in January, 1691. According to available records. Kino's diary they had been invited there by the Sobaipuri inhabitants. Nestled along the Santa It was not until July, 1701, ten years after Cruz River among the huge cottonwoods the Kino's first visit, that Father Juan de San village had prepared three arbors or brush Martin was sent to administer at Guevavi, shelters for the visitors, “one in which to say with Tumacacori as a place of visit. ApparentMass, another in which to sleep and a third ly little was done in those days and it was not for a kitchen.” Kino and Salvatierra baptized until many years later that Tumacacori besome infants and promised that a priest would came a main mission. When Kino arrived in Sonora to begin misMuch confusion has arisen among students sion building in March, 1687, the country of about the exact building date of the present the Upper Pimas, or Pimería Alta, was unSan José de Tumacacori. It is known from explored. Stretching for miles to the north The mere mention of Apache conveys a connotation of villainy and depravity to most Americans but even the Apache was a human being not devoid of admirable qualities. He raided and massacred but not always without provocation or necessity, unless there was something tangible and immediate to be gained he saw no reason for fighting.

from the Magdalena and Altar Rivers to the Gila, was a desert country inhabited by a friendly agricultural people living mainly along the river courses. East and west it stretched from the San Pedro River to the Colorado River and the Gulf of California. Without the loss of a single day he began the work of exploration, conversion and mission building that lasted almost a quarter of a century. Selecting the pueblo of Cosari as the spot for his first church, he founded the mission of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrow). From Dolores as a headquarters, with the aid of a very few priests, Kino founded missions at the larger Indian villages.

The story of mission building is an intriguing chapter in the moulding of an Indian population to a new and different economy than they had previously known. Dr. Herbert E. Bolton in "The Padre on Horseback" gives in Kino's own words a description of this mission system. Kino, speaking of Dolores, said, "This mission has its church adequately furnished with ornaments, chalices . . . bells, choir chapel, etc.; likewise a great many large and small cattle, oxen, fields, a garden with various kinds of garden crops, Castilian fruit trees, grapes, peaches, quinces, pomegranates, pears and apricots. It has a forge for blacksmiths, a carpenter shop, a pack train, water mill, many kinds of grain, and provisions from rich and abundant harvests of wheat and maize, besides other things, including horse and mule herds, all of which serve and are greatly needed for the house, as well as for the expeditions and new conquests and conversions, and to purchase a few gifts and attractions, with which, together with the word of God, it is customary to contrive to win the minds and souls of the natives."

Kino then, besides being one of North America's greatest mission founders, was also a stockman and rancher. He introduced cattle and other domestic animals into his newly founded missions. His endurance in the saddle is still one of the marvels of seasoned cowboys. He is known to have often traveled an average of thirty miles a day for long periods, baptizing and spreading the gospel as he went. He settled the question as to whether Lower California was an island or a peninsula. He established many missions among the friendly Indians and saw to their guidance. His diary, observations, letters, and maps are historical treasures. Is it any wonder that such a man's deeds will live forever?

In March, 1711, just twenty-four years after coming to Pimería Alta, the Great Father called to Kino. He had ridden to Magdalena to dedicate a new chapel and became desperately ill during the service and died that night. The sad task of bury ing Kino fell to Augustin Campos, the priest in charge of San Ignacio, who had invited Kino to dedicate the new chapel. The remains were placed, not in the church at Dolores, but in the new chapel which Kino had just dedicated.

ill during the service and died that night. The sad task of bury ing Kino fell to Augustin Campos, the priest in charge of San Ignacio, who had invited Kino to dedicate the new chapel. The remains were placed, not in the church at Dolores, but in the new chapel which Kino had just dedicated.

Carlos the Third, King of Spain, brought an end to Jesuit work in the New World by ordering the expulsion of all Jesuits in 1767. In 1768 the Franciscan Order took over the missions of Pimería Alta. Father Garcés was sent to San Xavier arriving there in June, 1768. Father Gil de Bernavé was the first Fran ciscan to be stationed at Guevavi with Tumacacori as its place of visit.

Sometime before 1784 Guevavi was given up as a main mission and Tuma cacori took its place. Apache depredations were responsible, no doubt, for such a move. While de Anza and his soldiers were escorting a group of colonists to California to es tablish the town of San Francisco in 1776 we learn from Father Pedro Font's diary that the mission of Tuma cacori was destroyed by the Apaches who had carried off everything. Thus while the soldiers were absent from Tubac, the Apaches devastated the mission.

From reports left by some of the priests we know that Tumacacori was reroofed and renovated in the period between 1788 and 1791. Walls of clay had been built around the pueblo for protection and at least two priests administered to the Indian inhabitants. It is interesting to note that parts of the clay wall are still in existence and are shown in the accompanying photograph. Whether the adobe walls of the present church are those of the building that existed at that time is not known. Perhaps a new church was planned and built. We do know from manuscript evidence found in the burial record that on December 13, 1822 Father Ramon Liberos made an entry to the effect that he had removed the remains of Fathers Carillo and Gutiérrez from the old church to the new and reburied them on the Gospel side of the altar. Father Carillo had been in charge of San Xavier from May 22, 1780 to 1794. He had moved to Tumacacori where he died on October 10. 1795. Father Gutiérrez in turn spent his remaining years at Tumacacori and died there December 13, 1820, at which time he was buried by Father Estelric in the old church. From this evidence it is reasonable to assume that the present church was still under con struction at the death of Father Gu tierrez in 1820. By the latter part of 1822 the new church was near enough completion to be dedicated and the old church was abandoned.

From the remains of registers found at other missions which carry on as late as 1836 in some cases, it is safe to assume that Tumacacori was ad ministered by a priest as late as 1830. The Indians who had spent so many years in the construction of the mis sion finally had to give up the fruit of their work and retire to San Xavier del Bac with the statues of the saints and other church property. Legend has it that Tumacacori was attacked by the Apaches for the last time when they tried to burn the church and furnishings. In despera tion the friendly Indians carried the statues on their backs to the sanctuary of San Xavier where some of them may now be seen in the baptistry. Exactly when this happened we do not know. Some of the Indians living today at San Xavier relate how their ancestors had to abandon Tumacacori because of Apache raids.

Even before the mission was dedicated Mexico won its in-dependence from Spain. State aid for the missions and garrisons had been slow in coming from as early as 1810. The priests advanced food from their mission stores for the soldiers and helped in every way to stabilize the border economy. Finally the Spanish troops were withdrawn and these frontier missions were left defenseless against the Apaches. Some missions, where the population was large, could defend themselves, while others were abandoned.

Between the decades of 1830 to 1860 Tumacacori was visited by trappers, soldiers, and travelers. Some camped in the ruined church for the night while others stopped only long enough to examine the structure and perhaps write a description of the church and make a rough drawing to accompany their notes. Some even described the grounds and orchards. Many California immigrants of gold rush days paused at the old mission long enough to examine it and ponder its rise and fall. Two members of the California Volunteers inscribed their names on the walls of the sanctuary in 1862. General Pershing is reported to have camped there in 1886 as a lieutenant in charge of a detail of troops looking for renegade Apaches.

In those times the Santa Cruz River was described by American settlers as full of marshes overgrown with cat-tails. Malaria was often contracted. The hills were full of game. Turkey, bear, wild hog, mule deer, and white-tail deer were easily shot for food.

The mission stood until 1921 without protection or repair. Vandals dug for legendary treasure. Neighboring ranchers appropriated the beams and bricks from the old buildings. The walls gradually deteriorated and bushes grew over the mounds formed by the collapsed walls of the monastery rooms. Only the massiveness of the church saved it from complete destruction.

In 1921 the mission building was repaired by Mr. Frank Pinkley. Foundations were strengthened, walls were built up to their original heights and capped. A new roof was constructed approximating that of the original as closely as possible. Bricks the sizes and shapes of the originals were made on the grounds, and timbers for the roof were brought from the nearby Santa Rita Mountains and hewn by hand to the proper shape. The rooms were cleaned out to the original floor levels and new doors were made for the church entrance and for the door-way to the sacristy.

In the winter of 1934-35 a complete excavation of the church and all adjacent buildings was made under the direction of Paul Beaubien. The outlines of the old rooms, where the walls had collapsed, were photographed and mapped. The remains of Fathers Carillo and Guitiérrez were disinterred and transferred to San Xavier at the request of the Franciscans there. Very few artifacts were discovered. From the condition of the rooms it was evident that there had been vandalism long before the government started excavation.

Areas purporting to hide tunnels, underground rooms, and buried treasure were thoroughly excavated thus ending for all time the legends of great wealth buried at Tumacacori. All excavated areas were backfilled with dirt that had been removed. Only one small section east of the mission was left open for inspection by visitors to show part of the original floor, wall, and canal that brought water into the monastery garden.

Today the mission of Tumacacori stands as an interesting historical relic, preserved by the National Park Service as an outstanding example of a Spanish colonial mission. It forms a basis upon which this nation and those of Latin America, particularly Mexico, may meet upon common grounds of history and culture.

The architecture of Tumacacori is of the so-called Spanish-Colonial type. It embodies solid, massive walls, domes, vaults and arcaded corridors. The priests of Pimería Alta showed a determinination in expressing themselves when it came to church building. Here on the borderland where little official attention was given, they managed to erect splendid edifices under the almost constant threat of Apache attacks.

According to modern standards Tumacacori is still an impressive building. Its once orange-colored facade is now a mellowed buff. The red coigns and red columns have chipped and faded until little color remains. The capitals of the columns show the open lotus blossom copied from Egyptian architecture.

The statue niches show traces of blue meant to represent the blue of the sky.

Inside the church the colors were equally as bright and much more color can be seen, especially in the sanctuary which has always been protected by the dome. Along all of the walls were painted red and black dados. Traces of a red fretwork of roses painted on a blue background can still be seen on some of the piers. What seems to be a stenciled floral design occurs above and below the clearstory windows of the sanctuary. These bits of color are all that remain to show the patience and travail of the priests in executing to the minutest detail the church interior.

In 1937 a splendid museum and administration building was erected by the National Park Service under the PWA program. Present day craftsmen matched their wits and skill against those of the mission builders to copy their style of architecture. The modern building will stand as a memorial to the dauntless spirit of those early men whose vision created a civilization out of the desert. Constructed according to the style of the Pimería Alta missions, its walls are of adobe and the cornices of burned brick, all covered with stucco. The best architectural features from all of the missions have been com-bined in the museum building to show the elements of style used in those times.

The shell-shaped arch of the entrance is patterned after the entrance arch at Cocóspera mission. The carved entrance doors are copies of the carved doors of San Ignacio mission. The other doors throughout the museum are similar to the panelled doors of Caborca.

The visitor first views the mission through the arched "picture window." Almost spellbound by this view he next sees a model of the mission and monastery as they were about 1824. By comparing the mission and the model he is able to see what portions have collapsed and fallen into ruins. In 1935 an extensive excavation exposed the foundations of the monastery rooms which were mapped. From this work it was possible to construct the model according to the dimensions of the actual remains.

The museum exhibits are arranged in chronological sequence in three rooms. The first room contains five exhibit cases in which the Indians of the Pimería Alta, both friendly and hostile, are described. Some of the early Spanish history is recounted. The second room deals with Father Kino and other Jesuits who worked with the Indians until their expulsion in 1767. The lives and hardships of those times are brought to life by well executed exhibits in miniature called dioramas. One of these dioramas depicts Father Kino and his Indian guide stopping at one of the desert water holes. A few thin cows are seen drinking from the brackish water. The desert landscape is beautifully executed even to such minute details as miniature cacti and desert growth. Another diorama shows a savage struggle between some of the supposedly friendly Pimas and a handful of Spanish soldiers. A black-robed Jesuit priest is seen doing his share in attempting to avert a massacre of his flock. In the backgroundcan be seen the burning village. Behind the bushes and trees are seen Indians armed with bows and arrows.

The last room of the museum portrays mission life during Franciscan times. A history of mission architecture is fully given in one of the cases. Mining operations are described and a small diorama shows the interior of a mine with an arrastra or gold mill in operation near the mine shaft. The climax in the museum is reached when the visitor sees the Mass diorama. Here in miniature and executed to the finest detail is a model of the interior of San José de Tumacacori as it might have looked during mass about 1824. Standing at the altar is the priest in his vestments offering the Holy Sacrifice. Flanked by two altar boys, he is in the act of elevating the golden chalice. The early Colonnades patterned after the mission style border the peaceful patio garden in connection with the museum.

The bold style of the museum fits in well with the Arizona landscape.

morning sunlight streams down through the clearstory windows and throws a shaft of light on the vivid scene. In the dimly lighted interior the congregation of Indian men, women and children with a few well dressed Spanish inhabitants kneel in supplication. The statues of Our Lady and St. Francis are also lighted by the streaming morning sun as it pours through the high windows. Tiny candles flicker on the decorated side altars. As the visitor views this marvelous reproduction the choir is heard singing the music of the Mass in Gregorian chant. Through the dim light one may see the baptistry and the stairway leading to the choir loft. This never-to-be-forgotten scene lingers always with the visitors and they often return just to see "The Mass."

Outside one may wander through the patio garden patterned after a monastery garden of the mission period. Olive trees shade the sparkling fountain where a few fish swim lazily. Yellow jasmine and lantana give color to the walls of the garden. The visitor regretfully awakens from the sleepy mission atmosphere and suddenly realizes that he must be on his way but with a promise that he will return mañana. Adió amigo, vamos a volver otra vez.