Tumacácori National Historical Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tumacácori National Historic Park | |
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| IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) | |
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| Location: | Southern Arizona, USA |
| Nearest city: | Nogales, Arizona |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 360 acres (1.5 km²) |
| Established: | August 6, 1990 |
| Visitation: | 48,492 (in 2004) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
Tumacácori National Historical Park is located in the upper Santa Cruz River Valley of southern Arizona. The park protects the ruins of three Spanish mission communities. The park consists of 360 acres in three separate units. San José de Tumacácori and Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi, both established in 1691, are the two oldest missions in Arizona. The third unit, San Cayetano de Calabazas, was established in 1756. The Guevavi and Calabazas units are not open to the general public and can only be visited on reserved tours led by park staff. The main unit of the park, the Tumacácori Mission, has a visitor center and museum and is open to the public every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving.
A 4.5 miles segment of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail lies along the Santa Cruz River between Tumacácori National Historical Park and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park.
The site was originally proclaimed Tumacacori National Monument on September 15, 1908, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. On August 6, 1990, it was redesignated a National Historical Park and the Guevavi and Calabazas units were added to the park.
[edit] History of San José de Tumacácori Mission
San Jose de Tumacácori Mission was established in 1691 by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. It was established one day before the Guevavi Mission, making it the oldest mission site in Arizona. The mission was originally called San Cayetano de Tumacácori. After the Pima rebellion of 1751, the mission was moved to the present site on the west side of the Santa Cruz river and renamed San José de Tumacácori. By 1848, the mission was abandoned and began falling into severe disrepair. Preservation and stabilization efforts began in 1908 when the area was declared a National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt and continue today.
[edit] External links
- Official NPS website: Tumacácori National Historical Park
- Mission Churches of the Sonoran Desert
