Tumacácori National Historical Park

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Tumacácori National Historic Park
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Tumacácori National Historic Park
Location Santa Cruz County, Arizona, USA
Nearest city Nogales, Arizona
Coordinates 31°34′03″N 111°03′03″W / 31.5675, -111.05083
Area 360 acres (1.5 km²)
Established August 6, 1990
Visitors 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, two of which are National Historic Landmark sites, and it also contains the Tumacacori Museum, a historic landmark building built in 1937 that is also a National Historic Landmark. The park consists of 360 acres in three separate units.

The Franciscan churches at San José de Tumacácori and Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi both date to the late 1700s. The earlier Jesuit missions that were established at Tumacacori and Guevavi in 1691 are the two oldest missions in southern Arizona, but there are no visible remains of these early structures.

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.

Mission San José de Tumacácori
Mission San José de Tumacácori

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[edit] History of San José de Tumacácori Mission

Mission San José de Tumacácori
Mission San José de Tumacácori

San Cayetano del Tumacácori Mission was established in 1691 by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. It was established one day before the Guevavi Mission, making it the oldest Jesuit mission site in southern Arizona. The mission was originally called San Cayetano del Tumacácori and was located in a different location than the National Monument. It was established at an extant native O'odham or Sobaipuri settlement on the east side of the river. The location of this Sobaipuri settlement and the original place visited by Kino has been identified by archaeologist Deni Seymour who excavated and reported on the original San Cayetano del Tumacacori mission site, revising the earlier opinions of Charles Di Peso as to where this settlement was located.

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] Tumacacori Museum

Tumacacori Museum
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Tumacácori National Historical Park (Arizona)
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Location: Tumacacori National Monument, Tumacacori, Arizona
Coordinates: 31°34′3.88″N 111°3′1.45″W / 31.5677444, -111.0504028Coordinates: 31°34′3.88″N 111°3′1.45″W / 31.5677444, -111.0504028
Built/Founded: 1937
Architect: Scofield DeLong; Et al.
Architectural style(s): Mission/spanish Revival
Designated as NHL: May 28, 1987[1]
Added to NRHP: May 28, 1987[2]
NRHP Reference#: 87001437
Governing body: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Tumacacori Museum is a museum building built in 1937 within what was then Tumacacori National Monument and is now Tumacacori National Historic Park. It contains interpretative displays relating to three historic missions preserved within the park, and includes artwork created by artist Herbert A. Collins.[3]

The museum building, a fine example of Mission Revival architecture, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.[1],[4][5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Tumacacori Museum. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  2. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  3. ^ Dioramas in the visitor center at Tumacácori National Historical Park
  4. ^ Laura Soullière Harrison (1986), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Tumacacori MuseumPDF (587 KiB), National Park Service  and Accompanying 35 photos by Laura Soullière Harrison, exterior and interior, from 1985PDF (2.36 MiB)
  5. ^ "Architecture in the Parks: A National Historic Landmark Theme Study: Tumacacori Museum", by Laura Soullière Harrison. National Historic Landmark Theme Study. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.

[edit] External links

Mortuary chapel and rear of church, San José de Tumacácori, 1937
Mortuary chapel and rear of church, San José de Tumacácori, 1937
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