Plaza

The Main Plaza

Left image
An artist's rendering of life in the main plaza.

Right image
Tumacácori's beloved tortilla demonstration

 

• Daily Life at the Mission

  
  

  The main plaza in front of the church would have been active and loud with the activities of daily family life.
  Audio Transcript

  kids laughing and giggling

 

How It Was

The plaza, a squarish area surrounded by low buildings, consisted of living quarters and community space for mission residents. The west side of the plaza was comprised of flat roofed, adobe walled, plastered one story rooms that were connected in a line running north to south. The north part of this area had a gate in a wall that was attached to the southwest side of the church. This gate allowed animals, carts, wagons, and people to enter and exit the plaza. The south and east sides of the plaza contained a series of rooms much like the housing on the west side, although they did not go the full length of the general boundary of the plaza.

In front of their adobe residence, a family might build a shade ramada known in O'odham as a wa:ato [WAH-ah-toh]. Four sturdy mesquite branches support a roof made of smaller limbs or ocotillo stems. The ramadas would have been used as outdoor rooms for activities such as preparing food, resting in the shade, and performing tasks of daily living.

The plaza also contained outdoor ovens, or hornos. These were likely shared by families and used to bake bread or other foods. They were beehive-shaped, made of sun-dried adobes. A fire would be set in the horno and once the correct temperature had been reached, the embers and ashes removed and food placed inside to cook. Blocking the door kept the horno at the proper temperature for the duration of the baking time.

At its peak of activity, this bustling community space served as the backdrop to the lives of nearly 200 mission residents. People walked from here to attend church services, engage in work in the convento, or to go into the fields, gardens, and orchards between the plaza and the river to the east.

 

How It Is Now

Today, all that is left of the western row of buildings is a long, linear mound running parallel to the sidewalk that approaches the church. Beneath the mound are foundations and wall remnants, at one time excavated and exposed but now protected underground. There are no visible remains of the structures to the east and south.

Although generally quiet in comparison to its previous chaos, the plaza still serves as a community meeting space. Traditional cooking activities continue at the tortilla demonstration ramada along the southern edge of the historic plaza. Nearly every visitor to Tumacácori will take a photo from the plaza looking toward the historic church. Weddings take place here. A host of special public events like naturalization (citizenship) ceremonies, Catholic Masses, cultural events, and celebrations use the plaza's natural openness to gather together friends and neighbors.