Tumacacori Ruins

This site contains the ruins of a Jesuit cathedral and some of its surrounding adobe buildings. The holes that you see in the walls were for timbers which supported the roof of the main floor and the floor of the second floor.

Tumacacori was founded in the late 1600s and then abandoned in the 1800s for various reasons, including raids by Apache warriors. A mass (misa) and fiesta still happen at this site once a year in early December. Mexicans, Tohono O'Odham and Anglos all participate.

The site is located about 10 kilometers from the Mexican border at Nogales. Unfortunately this was as close as I got to Mexico on this trip--one of my travel companions got sick with Pneumonia and that part of the journey became a time for rest instead.

Chapel on the Side

This chapel at the San Xavier del Bac mission is dedicated to la Virgin Maria. It is located to the side of the main church, filled with candles and milagros.

A Continuing Obsession

Anyone who knows me well might have noticed that I have a bit of a habit...taking pictures of religious architecture, especially churches and cathedrals. As a confirmed agnostic, I have no idea where this comes from. I have books and books of pictures of religious buildings. Maybe I lived in a Catholic country for a little too long :)

Case in point: many, many photos of the San Xavier (pronunciation: ha-vee-air) del Bac Mission south of Tuscon, Arizona. This mission was founded in the late 17th century and built by both Spanish missionaries and the Tohono O'Odham (pronunciation: odd-ham) people. It continues to be used as a church and also contains an interesting museum.

The mission is currently under restoration. Right now the entire west half of the church, including the tower on the left side of the building, is covered by scaffolding. Still, it was a fascinating place to visit. I think that adobe architecture is incredibly beautiful, even when it begins to fall into disrepair.

Notice the dark redish-brown vertical lines down that run down the outside walls of the building. These are drainage downspouts which protect the building from rainstorm. Though the mission is in the middle of a desert (approximately 7" of rain per YEAR) it tends to come in flash-flood bursts.

Tubac

About an hour south of Tucson near the Mexican border there is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. The village of Tubac stands alone, essentially in the middle of nowhere in the Sonoran desert. I would guess that fewer than 1000 people live there, but the town has something like 150 little shops and art galleries with metalwork, pottery and other items. Tubac is an arts colony. Apparently there has been an art school here since the 1940s.

There's also an amazing upsale restaurant and gourmet grocery store called Nob Hill. What a surprise to sit down to fabulous fancy food and linen napkins with the blazing desert outside.

The photo above is of a small shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe, located on the edge of Tubac.

Tucson

These pictures are of the Pima County Courthouse and San Angelo Cathedral in Tucson.

Southwest Vistas

These are a variety of desert and mountain views.

Fauna

Here are a few shots of desert animals. 1. mountain lion, 2. prairie dog, 3. ocelot, 4. mountain lion 5. red cardinal (my dad took this picture)

Desert Flora

The plants of the Sonoran desert have their own unique beauty. They are 1. saguro cactus 2. & 3. barrel cactus 4. cholla (pronunciation: ch-oy-ya) 5. prickley pear

Many of these pictures were taken at the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum northwest of Tucson.

Mission Details

These photos show some miscellaneous architectural details of the San Xavier del Bac Mission on the Tohono O'odham reservation.

Ancient Archeological Site

These photos are from the Pueblo Grande Archeological Site in Phoenix, Arizona. The site was occupied by the Hohokam people, who are thought to be the ancestors of today's Pima people.

The Hohokam dug vast irrigation canals, lived in adobe houses and farmed cotton, squash and corn. You can see some reconstructed Hohokam houses in the photos on the right. I also took pictures of metates (grinding stones) and pottery.

Like the Maya in Mesoamerica, the Hohokam disappeared without a clear explanation. Many archeologists believe that they became incorporated into other cultural groups.