University of Arizona Sense of Place Geos. 195D San Xavier

San Xavier del Bac, aka the White Dove of the Desert, is an active Catholic church south of Tucson in the Tohono O'Odham Indian Reservation. As a mission concept, San Xavier was founded in the late 1600s, early 1700s by Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino. The church building itself was begun in the late 1700s and finished in 1797. It is under constant maintenance. Right: Padre Kino statue at the corner of S. Kino Pkwy. and E. 15th St., decked out for the holidays and with his horse appearing to be grazing on buffelgrass, which wasn't in Arizona during Kino's time. Photo—Nina Kolodij, 2015

Photo—Gary Huckleberry

San Xavier. Photo—Alexia Grant, 2019	Artistry inside San Xavier. Photo—Jayme Kelter, 2007
Front Sanctuary. Gaizka Urreiztieta, 2011 Left Great Angel. Paul Sheppard, 2017	San Xavier, tower and dome from tower. Photos—Paul Sheppard
San Xavier pews. Photo—Will Carlisle, 2012	San Xavier corner. Photo—Carly Stewart, 2014
St. Kateri Tekakwitha, in tile and statuary. Algonquin-Mohawk, canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. Photos—Paul Sheppard	San Xavier fence. Photo—Meghan Marriott, 2014
Saint Francis Xavier, 1506-1552. Photos—Paul Sheppard	More corners and angles. Photos—Paul Sheppard and Vanessa Martin, 2019
Backlit portico. Vanessa Martin, 2019	The San Xavier Mission Church is considered "endangered," i.e., in threat of falling apart. Click on this image to see the list of endangered cultural sites worldwide (opens a new window). • 2020: Towering Task Awaits: AZDS article on renovation of the East Tower.
Aerial photo. San Xavier is the white buildings lower left. Lots of ag fields, in a sea of otherwise desertscape. Martinez Hill is distinctly darker on the north slope than the south. Why?	San Xavier timeline. Click on image to see the full brochure. San Xavier plaque. Click on image to see the full image.
San Xavier at sunset, photo — Wael, 2024
Photo — Paul, 2024

Bernard "Bunny" Fontana
Pre-eminent Scholar of Mission San Xavier del Bac

Renowned Southwestern historian, anthropologist Fontana dies at 85: April 2, 2016, a titan has passed.

Mission San Xavier in Art An icon of the Tucson art scene was Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia (1909–1982).
Click here to see the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, a Tucson must-see.	Book of DeGrazia art- work of Padre Kino.
DeGrazia: San Xavier.	DeGrazia: San Xavier.
San Xavier on canvas.	Voyager RV Park, main hall.

Mission San Xavier: Patches, Symbols, and Seals (oh my!) (click to enlarge)
San Xavier has its own patch. Rustic, old-school.
Look what made the great seal of the City of Tucson, Arizona.
And Pima County, Arizona, also.
Pima County Sheriff, too.
Even U-Haul.
The San Xavier Coop.

Greetings From Tucson: San Xavier

Patronato San Xavier
	Click here for the Patronato San Xavier, dedicated to preserving the church.

Breaking News 2017: Crested Caracara at San Xavier

2017: We saw a large raptor bird flying low over the ag fields of San Xavier. Bigger than Cooper's Hawk or Northern Harrier, sort of like a vulture but vultures winter in Mexico and soar high in the sky, not flying low. White "hands" evident in flight. This was a Crested Caracara, not unheard of for southern Arizona but not common either. At this moment, a big group of Caracaras is residing at San Xavier. Go back out again to see them, and check a nice bird off your North American life list.

John James Audubon illustration, Crested Caracara. Click here for more detail about this species.

Breaking News 2023: Professor Ofelia Zepeda Honored
2023: Ofelia Zepeda, Tohono O'odham elder and UA Regents Professor, has been honored with a fellowship from USA (United States Artists) for her writing, including poetry. See details here	Ofelia Zepeda, UA Regents Professor, 2023 USA fellow.

Group Shot
San Xavier team shot, 2024 (a pano shot this year)
2019: Panoramic of the Santa Catalinas from San Xavier, one day after impressive snowfall in Tucson. Photo—Paul Sheppard.

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Revised — January, 2024