Patagonia is a mid-nineteenth century mining and ranching town, now transitioning to tourism. Unfortunately, a new mining company has an office in the hotel and…
The region became U.S. territory only in 1854 with Gadsden Purchase, following the U.S.-Mexican War. The railroad soon was built to service silver and lead…
The scenic 1900 depot has been adapted to town offices and the track, in use until the 1960's, is being replaced by trails.
These days, people arrive by car for recreation . . .
. . . and a different set of enterprises has arisen. Some of the old attitudes survive, however.
With about a thousand residents, it's easy to walk beyond metropolitan Patagonia.
From the porch window of our VRBO. Javelinas resemble wild boar but behave like racoons.
The Patagonia Mountains, south of town, still hold valuable mineral deposits. Lower down, reflective cottonwoods line the creek that sustains town.
Most of the surrounding territory is oak and mesquite range land. Local Basque silver miners described their claim as "Arizona," meaning "the good oak tree."
The higher elevations support "sky islands" -- separate biomes that mimic the pine forests of northern latitudes.
We followed the Arizona Trail, which traverses Kentucky Camp, a former mining and ranch operation built in 1904. Adobe buildings like this remain amazingly…
In the early eighteenth century, the Spanish imposed themselves on the native O'odham people and were sometimes invited in. A Franciscan mission, Tumacacori,…
What style is the church? The column capitals are Egyptian. The arch over the front door is Roman. The pointed tops of the statue niches are Moorish. The…
A depiction of services in the mid-nineteenth century. To qualify for supplies, the O'odham had to attend, adopt Spanish dress and new names, accept assigned …
The nave today. In the past, the roof was stripped for wood and looters dug into the walls, looking for nonexistent Jesuit treasure. Amazingly, some detail…
Outside the transcept. The last resident priest left Tumacacori a few years after Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821. The network of about 30 missions in…
