Mission San Xavier del Bac is a historic Spanish Catholic mission located about 10 miles south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. The mission was founded in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino in the center of a centuries-old settlement of the Sobaipuri O’odham, a branch of the Akimel or River O’odham located along the banks of the Santa Cruz River. The mission was named for Francis Xavier, a Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) in Europe. The original church was built to the north of the present Franciscan church. This northern church or churches served the mission until it was razed during an Apache raid in 1770.
The mission that survives today was built between 1783 and 1797, which makes it the oldest European structure in Arizona. Labor was provided by the O’odham. An outstanding example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States, the Mission San Xavier del Bac hosts some 200,000 visitors each year. It is a well-known pilgrimage site, with thousands visiting each year on foot and on horseback, some among ceremonial cavalcades or cabalgatas.
Half of the actual church building was covered in scaffolding due to renovations, but this is an adjacent chapel which carries through some of the same architecture.
I’ll have to do this type of reporting from our cross-country trip, tho I’ll probably not be as detailed as you. I have found your trip quite interesting, especially as it reminds me of the places I’ve missed while living just 6 hrs west.
I started doing the “postcard” thing a few years ago as a way to post some highlights while we travel, then doing more detailed posts once we get home. David duChemin did them a few years back on several of his trips, and that served as a bit of inspiration for mine. I rely heavily on Wikipedia for information like I used here and on others.
I have always wanted to visit this beautiful place. You have done a great job so far with these postcards.
It’s definitely worth the time if you are in the area. The friends we were visiting recommended it, and we would like to see the rest of it when the renovations are complete.