Tumacácori National Historical Park
The ruins of Spanish mission sites from the 18th and 19th centuries. An unfinished adobe church, its ruins, and a cloister garden stand quietly in the desert valley. The site is managed by the National Park Service.
The Tumacácori Mission was first visited in 1691 by the Jesuit missionary Father Kino. The surviving Church of San José was built around 1800 to 1820 and was left unfinished due to funding shortages and unrest. The mission was abandoned in 1848. The adobe church's bell tower, dome, and wall decorations remain, and the interior is open and spare with a lingering sense of age. Next to it are a cemetery, a round burial chamber, and a garden planted with traditional fruit trees. The visitor center has exhibits and guided tours, and craft demonstrations are often held on winter weekends. Admission is about $10, and a National Park annual pass is accepted. It is about an hour's drive from Tucson and can be combined with Tubac and the Titan Missile Museum in one day.
Opening hours
09:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Tubac
- Madera Canyon
- Titan Missile Museum
- Mission San Xavier del Bac
- Pima Air & Space Museum & Boneyard Tour
- Sentinel Peak (A Mountain)
- Colossal Cave Mountain Park
- Mission Garden