Ruined Spanish Mission Bell Tower – Tumacacori – Arizona
The ruined bell tower atop the historic Tumacacori Spanish Mission Church, located outside of Tubac, Arizona. The mission dates back to as early as 1691, and was founded by the Jesuit priest Father Eusebio Francisco Kino of the Franciscan order. However the present building dates back only to 1753. The name of the Church translates as “The Mission of Saint Joseph of the Rocky Flat Place”. The building is considered of Spanish Colonial architectural design and is similar in nature to other Spanish mission churches found in California and New Mexico.
The primary mission of the church was the conversion of the local Pima Indians, and more specifically the Tohono O’odham band.
The Franciscans are a monastic Christian religious order within the Catholic Church, that was founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1209.