San Xavier del Bac

These photos are from a trip to Arizona in January, 2005

On my way back from visiting Nogales, Mexico, I stopped at the Mission San Xavier del Bac. The mission was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. The current church, which as built between 1783-1797, is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona, and is widely considered to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States.

The church retains its original purpose of ministering to the religious needs of its parishioners.

The Mission is 9 miles south of Tucson, Arizona. Take exit 92 (San Xavier Road) off of Interstate 19 and follow signs to the Mission.

The Tohono O'odham are a group of Native Americans who live mainly in the Sonoran Desert in Southeast Arizona and northwest Mexico. The Spanish conquistadores called them Papago (tepary-bean eater) beacuse that is what they were called by rival Pima tribes. Tohono O'odham means "People of the Desert"