Tumacácori: Illustrated

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.