Tumacacori National Historical Park Tours

Overview: Tumac���¡cori National Historical Park features the ruins of three Spanish colonial missions including Tumac���¡cori, Guevavi and Calabazas. These historic desert structures are set against a backdrop of rolling mountains in the historic Pimer���­a Alta or "Land of the Upper Pimas," an area that includes much of present-day southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. The Tumac���¡cori and Guevavi missions were first established by famous Jesuit Father Eusebio Francisco Kino in the late 1600s, and were later expanded upon by Franciscan missionaries. Guevavi and Calabazas missions can only be seen through reserved tours. Participants in these special tours learn about the history of the structures and the lives of those who lived there centuries ago. A 4.5 mile stretch of the famous Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, also known as the Anza Trail, extends from Tumac���¡cori to the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. The trail follows the river in the shade of Mesquite, Hackberry, Elderberry, Cottonwood and Willow trees. The Riparian, Mesquite Bosque and surrounding desert scrub environments within the park provide shelter for more than 200 species of birds, making birding a popular activity for visitors. Other animals take refuge in the park, including coyotes, javelina and raccoons, twenty-four documented species of reptiles and amphibians, and notable insects such as the giant mesquite bug, tarantula, tarantula hawk and velvet ant. Tumac���¡cori is in the upper regions of the Sonoran Desert. It is warm and dry most of the year. Temperatures will reach the high 90s and low 100s during some days in the summer months.