Tumacacori National Historical Park Things to Do Tips by Stephen-KarenConn

Muuro-Ki: There's No Place Like Home

Across the yard from the convent we saw a Murro-Ki, a modern construction of a traditional O'odham Indian dwelling, made of mesquite timbers, ocotillo cactus, and mud. It was built in 1997 according to ancient custom by O'odham workers using traditional hand tools. This type of structure was once used for O'odham housing as part of the mission complex. It has a juato or mesquite ramada porch and comal for cooking. These huts are said to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter because of the insulating properties of the materials used in the construction.

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-520-457-3311

Website: http://www.nps.gov/tuma

The Garden

My favorite spot at Tumacacori was the garden. It is a carefully engineered replica of Spanish mission gardens everywhere. Gardens as this one were an important component of the mission courtyard, providing a place for quiet reflection around a simple fountain. Other than the section of native plants of the Sonoran Desert, the vegetation growing here represents plants introduced to this area by the Padres. There are many herb specimens, such as rosemary, thyme, and myrtle. Fruit trees include apricot, olive, pomgranate, and monk's pepper. These trees were all introduced by the National Park Service when the garden was built in 1937 as part of the visitor center. However, next to the east wall, is a fig tree that is a descendant of one of the original figs trees first brought to Tumacacori by Father Kino.

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-520-457-3311w

Website: http://www.nps.gov/tuma

El Convento

The ruin which once constituted the convento, or priests' quarters, has seen much usage, both during the mission era and afterwards. After abandonment, it was used as a residence by various people and was even used as a schoolhouse during the administration of the first resident superintendent at Tumacacori National Monument, later redesignated as a National Historic Site.

Probably the most extensive use the convento ever saw way when five priests stayed her for eight days, while waiting for the Anza Expedition to leave Tubac between Sunday, October 15, and Monday, October 23, 1775, as evidenced by the quote below:

"I stopped at the mission of Tumacacori, a league down the road from the presidio. Fathers Francisco Garces and Tomas Eixarch, who are to come on the expedition and remain on the Colorado River, were here. I remained with them and Fathers Pedro de Arrequibar and Felix de Gamarra during the days while the expedition was waiting at Tubac."
--Fr. Pedro Font, October 15, 1775

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-520-398-2341

Website: http://www.nps.gov/tuma

The Lime Kiln

Lime plaster was used at Tumacacori to protect the adobe from moisture. Tons of raw material (limestone boulders) had to be brought to the mission for processing so that a coat of plaster, often more than two inches thick, could be applied to the walls. Like the timbers in the roof, limestone had to be transported some thirty miles from the Santa Rita Mountains to the east. This was most likely accomplished by means of ox carts, traveling through some thirty miles of the most dangerous Apache country in teh world.

Once on site, the limestone was loaded onto a heavy metal grate that rested on a shelf about halfway way down the wall of the kiln. Fire was placed underneath the grate and the rocks were "cooked" until they began to swell and break open. At that point they could be readily hammered into a poweder. The powder was then "slaked" by putting it in water for a day or two. Once th powder was "hydrated," it was made into a paste, sand was added to make plaster, and it was spread onto the walls to dry. Though course and lumpy by today's standards, it was (and is) the best protection possible for sun-dried adobe.

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-520-457-3311

Website: http://www.nps.gov/tuma

The Granary

Next to the cemetery is the granary, where foodstuffs were stored and distributed to the village people. Prior to the coming of the Spanish, the O'odham diet consisted of squash, beans, corn, small game, and wild plants. The Spanish brought sheep, goats, and cattle, adding protein to the diet. They also brought wheat which could be grown in winter, as well as fruit trees, such as apricot, fig, apple, and pomegranate, providing a pleasing variety to the limited native diet.

The stairs led to a loft where extra food and animal fodder were stored when the granary was in use. The food was kept in baskets and clay pots for later distribution. The mission was a communal system of growing, collecting and distributing. Fleshy fruits, meat and grains were all dried in the hot desert sun before storing for use during the non-growing season.

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-520-398-2341

Website: http://www.nps.gov/tuma

Tumacacori Cemetary

After passing the Mortuary Chapel we found ourselves in the Tumacacori Cemetery. There are a few early 20th century graves, but any evidence of mission-era graves was destroyed long ago by weather, treasure hunters, and cattle. Toward the end of the 19th century the cemetery was used as a corral during cattle drives and roundups. Families who moved into the area around 1900 knew it as campo santo (holy ground) and used it once again to bury their dead. Juanita Alegria's grave is the last burial (1916) and the only one to be identified.

However, the mission-era dead are also still interred here. 593 burials were recorded between 1755-1825. Records from 1825 to 1848, when the mission was abandoned, have never been found.

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-800-557-8223

Website: http://www.nps.gov/vick

Mortuary Chapel

Upon exiting the rear of the church the first thing we noticed was a circular building which once served as the Mortuary Chapel. It is about 16 feet in diameter and has a flat roof, although it is speculated that it was originally intended to be covered with a dome. This is where funeral masses were celebrated and rosaries were prayed for the dead.

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-520-457-3311w

Website: http://www.nps.gov/tuma

The Nave and Sanctuary

Stepping inside the church you can see the remains of the once magnificent nave - the place reserved for the accommodation of the people. Here indian and Spanish settlers took their places at the "Holy Mass." There are no pews. The people stood or knelt during the services. The church is in the form of a long hall rather than a cross. Lining the walls are four side altars where individuals lit candles and said specific prayers to statues of saints in the niches above.

Shortly after the church was abandoned in 1848 the roof was removed, probably by local settlers who used the original timber for construction elsewhere. It was first replaced in 1921, but the nave was exposed to the elements for more than 60 years and damage is extensive. Two priests who helped build the church are buried below the altar steps.

Ascending the steps leading up out of the nave, one enters the sanctuary, still adorned with its original paints, picture frames, and extensive stenciling.

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-520-398-2341

Website: http://www.nps.gov/tuma

The Bell Tower

.Although the bell tower arches appear to be in a state of ruin, they are almost in exactly the same condition as when the church was abandoned in 1848, never having been completed. Not the scallop shell motif of the statue niches. They are symbols of the pilgrims of the Middle Ages traveling to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. To prove they had been there, they would find a scallop shell and stick it in their hat.

Although the bells you see are not original to Tumacacori, it was the pealing of similar bells that kept the mission community on schedule.

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-520-398-2341

Website: http://www.nps.gov/tuma

Front of the Church

The facade of the church was rendered in bright colors to appeal to the Indians, with yellow tending toward pink. Today, under the cornice below the window, some of the original color is still visible. The half circle of the espadana, or pediment, is a careful reconstruction.

The columns were painted red, the capitals yellow with black markings. These seem to immitations of Egyptian style capitals, introduced into Spain by the Moors and copied here from some Spanish building by the person who designed the facade.

The statue niches, a Roman introduction, were painted blue. The two niches beside the window are Moorish because of their pointed arches. The little corbels or shelves at the base of the niches brought the statues forward so they might be seen from a wider angle. The tower section was treated as an individual unit of a complete whole. It gives the appearance of strength and dignity. The lower part was left plain.

Address: 1891 E. Frontage Rd., Tumacacori, AZ 85640

Phone: 1-520-398-2341

Website: http://www.nps.gov/tuma