I learned much early Southwest history touring Tumacácori and struggled to pronounce the name, Tuma-cá-cori. Such an interesting place I visited over two days.
After nine days during mid-April boondocking along the High Gates Road in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge I traveled east to visit some historic sites. Turned out Tubac Presidio State Historic Park appeared way to tourista surrounded my several blocks of what I call junk shops. I don’t need any more junk, so I left in a hurry and continued south to Tumacácori National Historical Park, a National Park Service site. Their parking lot isn’t made for oversized rigs, but it was mostly empty so I paralleled and took up several spaces far away from the entrance to the Visitor Center. Might find parking along the frontage road for a rig bigger than my 21 feet. I saw RV parks to the north in Amado but boondocked elsewhere.
The Visitor Center built from 1935-37 of adobe and plaster by local workers including CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), using “New Deal” project funds and oriented to provide an amazing view of the church. There are several superb CCC dioramas in the museum but under glass so couldn’t take pics.
After picking up my Junior Ranger book and an overpriced Prickly Pear cactus candy treat I walked into the Courtyard Garden adjoining the center. I met volunteer Gary in the garden and was the only one on his 1pm tour of the Tumacácori church.
Completed in 1822 after almost 25 years of construction, the front of the church was originally brightly painted. The columns were red, the Egyptian-style capitals yellow with black markings, and the statue niches were blue.
The adjacent Bell Tower has scallop shell niches for Saint James the Apostle, patron of laborers.
Artists rendition
Entering a long hall of the Nave, niches line the walls where statues of saints stood with candles below.
Immediately to the right of the door is a small room called the Baptistry and stairs leading to the bell tower and choir loft located directly above the door, but no longer there.
The opposite end of the hall is the Sanctuary with a domed ceiling made of strong fired adobe bricks. Most of the church’s vertical walls were made of the mud-adobe bricks then covered with plaster, etched and painted. After abandonment in 1848, the roof was removed and local settlers re-used the timbers.
O’odham dwelling
Built by the local people’s labor
The land and first people, we call the Tohono O’odam (pronounced AW-aw-tum), lived in the Santa Cruz river valley, wove baskets from wetland reeds, grew corn, beans, and squash, hunted rabbit and deer, gathered acorns, mesquite beans, cactus pads, buds and fruits.
In January 1691, Father Kino lead the first Europeans to an O’odam village and started Tumacácori Mission and community for teaching the native people the Spanish way of life, farming, religion, speaking Spanish, and how to build using mud bricks called adobe. Spaniards brought wheat, pork, beef, chicken, olives, peaches, pomegranates, figs, apricots and oranges.
My next wander was into the orchard which was restored in 2007 after much searching of historic orchards for trees to take grafts and gather seeds. Species include quince, pomegranate, fig, apple, plum, apricot, peach, olive, and orange trees.
By this time it was later afternoon and I still needed to find a place to camp for the night, preferably nearby so I could return in the morning. I got my Junior Ranger badge and bought a hatpin.
A Ranger gave me directions for a place that certainly wasn’t ideal but worked for a one-nighter. Yes, I could see but barely hear the traffic on Interstate 19 and was also in sight of a border patrol check point for northbound traffic. Safer there than further along a rough gravel road.
In the morning I returned before the visitor center was open but was allowed in and walked the 1/4 mile to the Santa Cruz River.
Returning to the parking lot I saw what looked like a farmers’ market across the street. Turned out to be a local food-bank and I was invited to help myself to some lovely produce.
From there I headed to Sierra Vista for a Walmart night before my next destination to visit a friend in Bisbee.
A video is coming of this tour.