Mission San Xavier del Bac
Place of worship · Tucson · Tucson & the Sky Islands
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Historic Spanish Catholic mission founded in 1692 by Eusebio Kino, located 10 miles south of downtown on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. Rebuilt between 1783–1797, it is the oldest European structure in Arizona and an outstanding example of Spanish Colonial architecture. About 200,000 visitors come annually; thousands arrive on foot or horseback in ceremonial cavalcades.
Inside, the nave opens onto a frescoed ceiling and Baroque altarpieces crowded with statues, trompe l'oeil curtains, and faux doors, painted in a style closer to theater than church. Much of that sculptural decoration was carved by artists from Queretaro in New Spain and hauled here by mule over the mountains. The building standing today is the Franciscans' rebuild, raised with O'odham labor after an earlier Jesuit church on the site, founded by Eusebio Kino, was destroyed in an Apache raid in 1770. The mission still serves as the working parish for Wa:k, the O'odham village whose name means water place, after the springs that once surfaced along the Santa Cruz River here.
What you see
Twin white bell towers flank a facade of pale sandstone carved with saints, shells, and scrollwork; the eastern tower was never plastered or domed, its bare brick left standing against the whitewash of the rest of the church.
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Climbs, views & nature nearby
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Climbs nearby
Common questions
- Why stop at Mission San Xavier del Bac on a bike ride?
- Historic Spanish Catholic mission founded in 1692 by Eusebio Kino, located 10 miles south of downtown on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. Rebuilt between 1783–1797, it is the oldest European structure in Arizona and an outstanding example of Spanish Colonial architecture. About 200,000 visitors come annually; thousands arrive on foot or horseback in ceremonial cavalcades.
- Where is Mission San Xavier del Bac?
- Mission San Xavier del Bac is in Tucson, Tucson & the Sky Islands (Arizona, United States).