Tumacácori National Historical Park, Spanish colonial mission complex in Santa Cruz County, United States
Tumacácori National Historical Park protects the ruins of three Spanish mission communities in Arizona's Santa Cruz River valley. The main unit, Mission San José de Tumacácori, has a Franciscan church built in the 1750s, with brick-brown and tan stucco walls, a curved pediment over the entrance, an unfinished square tower, and a lower domed section with a cross. The 1937 Tumacácori Museum stands nearby.
Jesuit priest Eusebio Kino established the mission in 1691, marking the start of Spanish religious work in southern Arizona. The settlement later became an agricultural and religious center through the 1700s before being abandoned and eventually restored as a historical site.
The name Tumacácori comes from the O'odham settlement where Eusebio Kino founded the first mission in 1691, on the river's east bank. The church visitors enter today is the Franciscan San José de Tumacácori, built on the west bank in the 1750s after the Pima rebellion of 1751 forced the move. The site was abandoned by 1848 and became part of the U.S. Arizona Territory after the Gadsden Purchase of 1854.
The main compound is open daily and visitors can explore the church and museum in about two to three hours. The two other mission sites in the area require advance arrangements with staff and should be factored into your visit planning.
The grounds contain a restored historic orchard where visitors can see the same fruit tree varieties that Spanish missionaries introduced to the region centuries ago. This living collection demonstrates how the missionaries shaped the landscape and farming of the area.
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