TUMACACORI

Father Kino, the Jesuit priest, came to Tumacacori in 1691 bringing with him fruit trees, winter wheat, cows and goats. The Pima Indians welcomed him. Before his arrival they had built for him three little buildings, one in which to say mass, one for a kitchen, one in which to sleep. The gifts of meat, flour and fruit meant that the Pimas could now feed themselves.

Mission San Jose de Tumacacori was founded on the east bank of the Santa Cruz River. Today, it's 19 miles north of the border town of Nogales and run by the National Park Service. Parts of some buildings stand, including some of the church.

I took a guided tour of the church which is built of adobe brick and I found it a place to look at, rather than a house a worship. I didn't feel a spiritual jolt either Christian or Indian, and the ground beneath my feet felt more governmental than holy. None-the-less.

What I loved best were the hollyhocks blooming tall in a garden behind the visitor center, the surrounding guava, persimmon and fig trees full and flowering and bearing fruit. This around a plaza tiled and centered with a fountain. Graceful influence of Spain.