The O’odham of Arizona: an ancient tribe forced to flee their homeland

The O’odham’s Century-Long Stand at Tumacacori Mission

The O’odham of Tumacacori knew how to adapt and thrive.

When Father Kino built his mission at their village in 1691, they saw wheat as a smart bet for the lean winter months. Soon, they mixed this new crop with their old flood farming ways.

By the 1770s, their wheat fields stretched past where the eye could see.

They got legal rights to the land in 1806, then held on through Mexican rule despite lost deeds and forced sales.

The small band kept their farms going until 1848, when an Apache raid killed nine and drove the rest away for good. The story of their rise and fall now waits at Tumacacori Museum in Arizona.

Father Kino Found an O’odham Village in 1691

Father Kino showed up in January 1691 at an O’odham village on the east side of the Santa Cruz River.

The O’odham people lived along this river for many generations, growing corn, beans, and squash using flood irrigation they mastered over centuries.

Kino started Mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori here, hoping to create a farming community while teaching Catholicism. The O’odham built a small adobe church.

Spain wanted these missions to help control the area and profit from farming.

Wheat Made Life Better for O’odham Farmers

O’odham farmers quickly saw how useful winter wheat was after Spanish missionaries brought it to their lands. This new crop grew during winter when food was usually scarce.

They mixed wheat into their farming system alongside their corn, beans, and squash. The O’odham kept using their old flood methods to water the wheat fields.

By the 1770s, wheat became their main crop, with corn second. Their wheat fields grew so big that visitors couldn’t see where they ended.

The Pima Revolt Pushed Everyone Across the River

A big rebellion broke out in 1751 when O’odham people across the region rose up against Spanish control. Some Tumacácori residents joined the rebels in attacking mission settlements while others ran away.

Everyone left the original mission site on the east side of the river during this dangerous time. Spanish officials built a fort at nearby Tubac for protection.

Between 1752 and 1753, mission leaders moved everything to the west side of the river, where Tumacácori stands today.

A New Church Grew from Adobe and Faith

The O’odham community built a small adobe church at the new site by 1757. After moving across the river, the mission got a new name: San José de Tumacácori.

The grounds grew to include work areas, living spaces, farmlands, orchards, and irrigation ditches. O’odham families lived in large villages made of mud and brush houses near the mission.

Their farming skills made the mission successful, with wheat fields stretching for miles.

Spanish Politics Brought New Priests to Town

Spain kicked out all Jesuit priests from its empire in 1767, ending their control of missions in the region. The Franciscans took over running Tumacácori and other nearby missions in 1768.

This change didn’t disrupt daily life much for the O’odham people. They kept farming and joining in mission activities under their new religious leaders.

The wheat fields kept growing, and mission work carried on smoothly despite the change in management.

The O’odham Got Legal Rights to Their Land

O’odham community members asked Spanish governor García Conde for legal ownership of mission lands in 1806. They explained their original papers had been lost over the years.

García Conde gave them legal title on December 17, 1806, giving them both town land and grazing land. Don Manuel de León, the commander of Tubac fort, marked the boundaries.

More talks and legal decisions in 1807 made clear exactly where these boundaries ran.

Dreams of a Grand Church Never Fully Came True

Around 1800, Franciscan leaders started building a much bigger church at Tumacácori. They wanted it to look like the beautiful Mission San Xavier del Bac nearby.

O’odham workers and Spanish laborers laid massive five-foot thick stone foundations. The project kept stopping and starting because they ran out of money and got caught in political troubles.

The community started using the new church by 1822, though workers never fully finished it as planned.

Mexican Freedom Brought Big Changes

Mexico broke free from Spain in 1821, changing who ran the region.

The new Mexican government took missions away from church control in the 1820s, turning them into regular community properties. Through all these political changes, the O’odham people kept farming at Tumacácori.

Their wheat fields and traditional crops continued to grow along the Santa Cruz River. The community stayed together even as government help dropped and the area became less safe.

The Mission Went Up for Sale

The O’odham deed to mission lands got lost in 1841 during government confusion. Mexican officials called Tumacácori abandoned in 1843 because the buildings were falling apart.

The government sold the mission in 1844 to Francisco Alejandro Aguilar for 500 pesos, who bought it for Manuel María Gándara. Despite this sale, a small group of O’odham families kept living and farming on the land.

They cared for their farms and fruit orchards along the river.

Apache Raiders Changed Everything in One Night

Apache warriors attacked the Tumacácori area in December 1848, killing nine O’odham community members. This brutal raid was part of wider Apache conflicts that got worse during the Mexican-American War.

The surviving O’odham families faced a heartbreaking choice and decided they had to leave Tumacácori for good.

They gathered up sacred objects from the church and prepared to find safety elsewhere, knowing they might never return to their homes.

The Last Journey North Ended a 150-Year Chapter

Survivors traveled north to Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson seeking protection. They carried religious items from the church with them, saving important artifacts from being lost or destroyed.

The O’odham people hoped they would come back to Tumacácori someday when it was safe again. They never returned, ending more than 150 years of continuous O’odham presence at the mission.

Their departure marked the end of native farming at Tumacácori, closing an important chapter in Arizona’s agricultural history.

Visiting Tumacacori Museum, Arizona

You can explore the O’odham community’s story at Tumacacori Museum for $10 (kids under 16 free) from 9am to 5pm daily. The museum is at 1891 I-19 Frontage Road, exit 29 off I-19.

Walk through a replica O’odham ki dwelling and see the preserved acequia irrigation ditch they used. From January to April, you can book guided tours to Guevavi and Calabazas missions through Recreation.

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This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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