Tumacácori: Illustrated

The Natural Landscape

Summer Storms
Weather and Climate

Southern Arizona and specifically the Sonoran Desert has a climate with two distinct precipitation "seasons."
Sky Islands
Mountains

Mountain habitat was integral to Tumacácori's cultural and natural landscape.
Trees of the desert
Mesquite Bosque

Habitat, food source, shade, and shelter.
More Than Meets the Eye
Scrubland

It may seem inhospitable, but lowland scrub adjacent to the Santa Cruz is where most successful communities developed.
Ribbon of Life
Santa Cruz River

Every story at Tumacácori begins here.

Farm Fields
Agriculture

Most of a mission's daily life revolved around the work of farming.
Civic Engineering
Irrigation

A shared resource as important as the acequia was the shared responsibility of everyone at the mission.
Fruit of One's Labor
Orchard

Fruit trees from all over the world were imported and cultivated in missions.
Cows, Sheep, Goats, and More
Ranching and Livestock

Tumacácori's great wealth was its plentiful livestock.
Essential Workers
Horses

The Spanish Barb horse is a unique and rare heritage breed. They once served in nearly every capacity in mission communities.

Sorrow and Tragedy
Cemetery

Disease ravaged mission populations. Most of the burials at Tumacácori were of children under the age of 5.
Pride of the Mission
Church

Standing three stories tall and boasting the most elaborate architecture and decoration, the church took more than 20 years to build.
Downtown
Convento

A convento (not to be confused with "convent") functioned similar to a modern-day shopping mall.
Daily Life
The Plaza

At its peak of activity, this bustling community space served as the backdrop to the lives of nearly 200 mission residents.

Military Might
Tubac Presidio

Presidios and missions often came as matched pairs.
The Original Tumacácori
O'odham Village Life

Before (and alongside) the mission, Tumacácori's native residents sustained their civilization in the landscape.
Cabeceras and Visitas
Neighboring Missions

Tumacácori was part of an extensive mission chain stretching both north and south.

Tumacácori's Protective Skin
Lime Kiln

Limestone is used to create plaster, mortar, and whitewash that protected and smoothed the finish on Spanish-style walls and buildings.
Building Blocks
Adobe Bricks

An "adobe" or "adobe brick" is a dried-mud brick made of earth, water and usually some kind of organic binding material like straw or grass.
History Needs Interpretation
Art in Interpretation

When it comes to telling the story of the past, a picture (or a sculpture) is definitely worth a thousand words.

Last updated: September 28, 2022

P.O. Box 8067
Tumacacori, AZ 85640

520 377-5060