Spanish Indian Missions of Arizona and New Mexico

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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The Spanish built Indian missions in Arizona and New Mexico, hoping to teach the natives Christianity and the Spanish way of life. Their efforts brought success to some tribes but brought great tragedy to others.

Arizona

The story of the missions of Arizona is mainly the story of one man: Fr. Eusebio Kino.

Fr. Kino established 24 missions in the Southwest.

Born in Italy, Kino became a priest of the Jesuit order in 1677. Fr. Kino was a brilliant and talented man. He excelled at many subjects, including geography and math. He had hoped to serve as a missionary in China but was sent to Mexico instead.

Fr. Kino led an expedition into southern California from Mexico. Then he went into the area that is now southern Arizona to work with the O'odham tribe (pronounced "Aw-tom"). The Spanish called this tribe the Pima.

Fr. Kino was one of the first European explorers to enter Pimería Alta (meaning "land of the upper Pima"). He entered it and eventually covered over 50,000 square miles of it on his horse! That's why he's often called the Padre on Horseback.

Fr. Kino mapped much of the area and was the first to prove that California was not an island (as people believed at that time).

He stayed and worked in Arizona until he died in 1711.

Watch clips of the video below about a group of O'odham, the Sobaipuri ("so-bye-pah-ri"), who invited Fr. Kino to come to their village in 1691. As you watch, answer the following questions.

• What is the meaning of the name Tumacocori?
• Why did Fr. Kino go there?
• What did Fr. Kino think of the area and the people?

Fr. Kino introduced the O'odham to horses and taught them to raise cattle, sheep, and goats. The herd of 20 cattle he brought to the area grew to over 20,000 during his lifetime, and so Fr. Kino is called Arizona's first rancher!

At the missions, the Native tribes learned new methods for farming, irrigation, and building with adobe.

Another mission founded by Fr. Kino was San Javier del Bac. It's often called The White Dove of the Desert.

• Can you see why?

San Javier del Bac is a mission still used as a Catholic church. Get a closer look at it in this video.

Some of Fr. Kino's missions are in ruins by now, such as Mission Los Santos Angeles de Guevav.:

Some of the missions are preserved as historical sites. Look at the preserved mission at Mission Tumacacori National Park and learn what happened over time with the following video clip.

It is estimated that Fr. Kino and his co-workers converted 30,000 Indians to Christianity. Because of his planning skills and business sense, Fr. Kino's missions helped the natives live better lives by teaching them to raise livestock and grow new crops like wheat.

He also tried to be tolerant of native culture and customs, which helped a great deal in his relations with the Indians!

Unfortunately, the same attitude wasn't followed in New Mexico, leading to disaster.

New Mexico

Franciscan missionaries first arrived in New Mexico in 1598 and built some beautiful mission churches that are still used today.

The one pictured at the beginning of the lesson, San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the oldest church in the United States! It was built between 1610 and 1625.

Explore These 10 Breathtaking Missions In New Mexico Are Loaded With History to see some other well-known missions in New Mexico.

Sadly, though the missionaries tried to help the natives, they were often not tolerant of native customs. And the Spanish authorities were, at times, ruthless and demanding. Many natives resented being forced to accept Christianity.

The Apaches led raids on the missions, killing many people. Then, the Pueblo Indians revolted in 1680 under the leadership of an Indian named Po'pay.

The Pueblos drove the Spanish out of New Mexico, and they did not return until 12 years later.

• Did you enjoy visiting the missions of the Southwest?

Now, travel over to the Got It? page, where you'll learn more about the Pueblo Revolt and sort out the reasons for the success or failure of the Spanish missions!