Day 1 - Nogales to Yuma

My first stop as I hit the road about 7:45 this morning was to find the place where Anza and his caravan spent their first night in what was, eventually, to become a part of the United States.  I had no trouble finding the place on the grounds of an Episcopal Church. A shallow depression on the south side of the Church and a deeper wash on the north side would have been a buzz of activity on the morning of October 15, 1775.  Fortunately the preschool that is located in the church was not in operation yet, so the quiet morning was not interrupted by children running around when I was there - but I am sure it was when Anza was there. But it was not hard to imagine that the people, the horses, the cattle, the mules all making ready for the day’s trip.

I am quite sure that what Anza and his companions saw as they moved 7 leagues North from their campsite to the Church at Tumacacori was not what I saw – a veritable trucking mecca.  Numerous warehouses with truck loading docks – some empty, some full, and most in between, lined the highway between the outskirts of Nogales and the little town of Rio Rico.  I am not sure of the origin of the town name – the local river is the Santa Cruz River (hence the county name).   But the Rio Rico may refer to the river if the highway that accommodates what certainly appears to be a substantial commercial operation between the US and Mexico.  If one needs a reminder of the effect of NAFTA, all one has to do is look at Rio Rico, or the trucks lined up at the Border Patrol check station a few miles north of Rio Rico.  When I went through the area the night before, going south, I noticed a long line of trucks headed north.  This morning there were very few.

You can follow the route from Nogales to Yuma that Anza took, and see some photographs I took along the way by clicking here.  You can see the photographs without the map by clicking here.

The history of the church at Tumacacori is an interesting one. Apparently the local Natives had learned from one of their wandering friends that the Spanish were planting some new and wonderful crops in Mexico.  So they sent an emissary to the Spanish community in Mexico and asked for someone to come north and teach them what had been taught to the others.  Father Kino – a storied Jesuit priest in Mexico – agreed.  He came in 1691 and supervised the building of the church and the surrounding agricultural improvements.  A few years later the discovery of silver in the surrounding foothills resulted in a flood of miners to the area.  The raw silver, in one case an essentially pure silver slab weighing over a ton was discovered, was readily mined in spite of constant raids by Apaches.  Silver mining continued sporadically for a several decades – interrupted regularly by Apache raiders.

Finally, though, the native Pima Indians decided they had enough of the newcomers, so in 1751 they staged a revolt, killing two priests and over 100 settlers.  The Spanish response was to build the presidio at Tubac.  The commandante of that Presidio was Juan Bautista de Anza, the father of the Anza who came to California.  Anza, senior, was killed by Indians while exploring the area north of Tubac – his son, who was only three years old when his father was killed, continued in his father’s footsteps.

The mission church at Tumacacori was rebuilt in a different location than the original, in 1757.  Following the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767 Tumacacori was taken over by the Franciscans. Continued trouble with the Apaches, the abandonment of the support from the Spanish and Mexican governments, the withdrawal of all Spanish priests, the Mexican War, and, finally, the Gadsden Purchase all contributed to a troubling story for the Tumacacori.

The Church and grounds have been taken over by the National Park Service and a National Historic Park has been established.  They are in the process of restoring both the building and the agriculture on the grounds.  They have located 11 fruit varieties that are heirloom varieties of the fruit that were located in various farms and gardens throughout the southwest and even in Mexico. The church is slowly be renovated – I am not sure if the intent is to restore the church as shown in some of the images that are on display, or they are simply trying to preserve it in its present state.

The only death on the long voyage to California occurred at Tumacacori: A woman died in childbirth.  The journey was delayed by a day while Anza took the woman’s body to the mission at Tubac for a Christian burial. The child survived, as did several other babies born on his journey.

Leaving Tumacacori I continued north following Anza’s path to Tubac – the site of a presidio establish around 1750 and the first European city in Arizona. The story of Tubac is similar to that of Tumacacori. Apache raids waxed and waned, local populations fled and returned, and the Spanish government seemed to be unable to deal with the situation.  Foreshadowing what is happening in Oakland these days, the Spanish territorial governor, Galvez, promised the Apaches that they would be given clothes, food, alcohol, and other rewards if they would only discontinue their raids. If they did not, they would be treated with a heavy hand.  Today Tubac is a tourist attraction – not so much for its history, but for the arts and crafts colony that started there after some military veterans moved to the area.  The area south of Tucson, including Green Valley, Tubac, and other developments seems to be a retirement mecca – warm weather, relatively inexpensive housing, and some local color – Tubac – has drawn a large number of retirees. As I walked through the shops selling all manner of crafts and art pieces I was struck by the fact that there were many women in small groups wandering through the shopping areas.  The few men I saw were mostly sitting on benches that were scattered around - reading, sipping coffee, or chatting with another abandoned spouse. I ate lunch in a small café which featured, of course, “wraps.” The outdoor dining area had about 10 tables, with probably 50 women, and I think there was one man with his wife there too.

After lunch I headed north on IS19, then followed the driving directions that went a bit NW of the freeway toward the mission church at San Xavier del Bac.  The church at San Xavier del Bac is fantastic. The church is set at the base of a small, conical mountain. The white façade of the church stands in stark relief to the dark background of the mountain.  It is clearly visible from the freeway as I had noticed when I drove to Nogales the day before.  The structure itself is impressive, and the interior decorations are magnificent.  It is still in operation as a Parish church, and the large courtyard in front has a line of sheds where food and souvenirs are available for the tourists. 

Anza was at this location on October 25.  He left the next day for the long trek across the desert to the Colorado River.  I did the same thing.  The route took me to the western outskirts of Tucson where I connected with IS 10 for the 240 mile, 3+ hour drive to Yuma where I arrived at dusk.  That trip took Anza some 39 days. He arrived at the Colorado River on November 30, then at the Yuma Crossing on December 3.