Tumacacori: from Rancheria to National Park

In old Pima, Tumacacori combines two words; a "rock" and "flat," or "place of the flat rock." It also has a two-word meaning in the modern Tohono O'odham language: an arch , a fold or a bend, and the lighter color material in that fold, descriptive of a geological formation on the east side of Tumacacori Peak near its base.

Tumacacori National Historical Park, nineteen miles north of the United States and Mexican boundary, was established in 1908 to preserve and protect the physical remains of an eighteenth century Hispanic mission community. Visitors are impressed by the peace and tranquility of the silent ruins, but they remain somehow vaguely aware that such serenity may not always have been the case.

Tumacacori: from Rancheria to National Park explores both the physical and the cultural impact of the mission and its surroundings. Filled with full-color pictures and rich illustrations, this highly researched book will bring this area to life.

• Published by Southwest Mission Research Center
• Written by Nicholas Bleser
• Illustrated by Larry Ormsby
• Audience: adult
• Page count: 56 pages
• Binding style: paperback
• ISBN-13: 978-0-915076-16-1