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 A BRIEF SKETCH 
 
 j; 
 
 MISSION 
 
 San Xavier del Bac 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF ITS CHURCH. 
 
 WRITTEN BY A 
 
 MISSIONARY OF ARIZONA. 
 
 PRICE, 50 CENTS 
 
 The Proceeds 'to he tJsed in Aid of the. Completion oi 
 St. Mary's Hospital. 
 
 4 fa 
 
 T 
 
 f 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO: 
 Thomas' Steam Printing House, 505 Clay Street. 
 
 1880. 
 
 MMI 
 
A BRIEF SKETCH 
 
 MISSION 
 
 San Xavier del Bac 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF ITS CHURCH 
 
 WRITTEN BY A 
 
 MISSIONARY OF ARIZONA. 
 
 JPRICE, 50 CENTS. 
 
 The Proceed* t<> be Used in ^Vid of the Completion <>i 
 ^t. Mary's Hospital. 
 
 sax b'RANOISOO: 
 
 Thomas' Steam Printing House, 505 Clay Street. 
 1880. 
 

Bancroft 
 
 SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 
 
 What is the history of this Mission? How old is its 
 church ? Who are those who built it ? These are questions 
 which many times we have been asked, and which, more fre- 
 quently now, are made by the numerous strangers who do 
 not fail to go to San Xavier del Bac* as soon as they have 
 visited the old Presidio, to-day the growing city of Tucson. 
 In order to satisfy this just desire, we will here briefly state 
 what we have been able to learn, either by tradition or by 
 the few records left in the church, about these questions. 
 
 The San Xavier Mission, which is located in the Santa 
 Cruz valley, nine miles south of Tucson, was established by 
 the Jesuit missionaries for the Papagof Indians towards the 
 end of the seventeenth century. 
 
 The Jesuit missionaries who had established several mis- 
 sions in the State of Sinaloa since 1590, reached Sonora — says 
 the author of the Noticias Estadisticas, of that province, — 
 on the 13th of March, 1687, having Father Kino as superior. 
 In 1690 four missions had already been established in So- 
 nora, and were visited by the Kev. Juan Maria Salvatierras, 
 who had been sent from Mexico as Visitor-General. During 
 this visit in the new missions, the Rev. Juan Maria 
 Salvatierras and the Rev. Father Kino had the pleasure 
 of seeing many Indians coming from different tribes, and 
 inviting them to go to their rancherias or villages. 
 Some of these Indians, who had come from a distance of over 
 
 *The word Bac, in the language of the Aborigines, means a place where 
 there is water. 
 
 tPapago, according to the explanation given to us by one of the Indians 
 of San Xavier, means "hair cut," the sign by which, formerly, those converted 
 to the faith were distinguished. 
 
4 San Xavier del Bac. 
 
 120 miles — the region where subsequently were established 
 the Missions of Tumacacori and San Xavier — insisted so 
 earnestly in their demands that the missionaries determined 
 to change their itinerary, and followed them as far as Gue- 
 vavi, where they founded a mission.* This is the first mission 
 which was established in the country now called Arizona. 
 
 As for San Xavier, we have not seen any record of its first 
 start as a mission. What we know is that, in 1692, the mis- 
 sionaries were visiting the different tribes of the western 
 part of the country, and that in 1694 they established two 
 missions on the Gila River. But from these facts, can we 
 not infer that the San Xavier mission was already existing, 
 especially when we know, as stated before, that it was the 
 strong wish of the Papago Indians to have missions es- 
 tablished in their villages? Moreover, the location which the 
 actually existing church occupies and the rich and extensive 
 valley by which it is surrounded must have attracted at once 
 the attention of the missionaries. We can, then, safely sup- 
 pose that this mission was established soon after that of 
 Guevavi, if not at the same time. Nevertheless, San Xavier, 
 had no resident priest for several years after its establish- 
 ment, and was only attended from Guevavi. The first church 
 built at San Xavier, as we have been told by an old Indian, 
 and as can be easily supposed, was a small and modest adobe 
 building, the most easily erected to meet the wants of the 
 new mission. The fragments of records we have found in the 
 church give us an idea of the population that lived in the 
 vicinity, by the number of baptisms which were yearly 
 administered from 1720 to 1767. This population must have 
 been considerable. We find in the same books that twenty- 
 two Jesuit missionaries successively administered at San 
 Xavier between the dates mentioned, the last of which w r as 
 that of their expulsion by the Spanish government. The 
 missions they had established during their stay in the pro- 
 vince of Sonora were twenty-nine in number, consisting of 
 seventy-three Indian pueblos, as is stated in the Budo En- 
 
 * This mission, now abandoned, was located in the southern pnrt of Ari- 
 zona, near the frontier of Sonora. 
 
San Xavier del Bac. 5 
 
 sai/o, a geographical description of Sonora, written in 1762 
 by one of the Jesuit Fathers. According to the opinion of 
 the author of the Noticias Estadislicas, already mentioned, 
 the Mission of San Xavier was one of the most nourishing in 
 Sonora under the care of the Jesuits, and the loss of these 
 missionaries could not but affect it very seriously, as well as 
 all the others. 
 
 In the same year, 1767, the Marquess de Croix, Viceroy of 
 Mexico, made an application to the guardian of the Fran- 
 ciscan college of Santa Cruz de Queretaro, Mexico, request- 
 ing him on the part of King Charles III, to send fourteen, 
 or at least twelve priests of his order to take charge of the 
 missions of Sonora. The petition was granted, and on the 
 27th of March, 1768, after a long and painful voyage, the 
 fourteen missionaries asked for landed at Guaymas. Soon 
 after, they proceeded to San Miguel de Horcacitas, where 
 they fixed the headquarters of their labors. Amongst the 
 number of missions that were considered important enough 
 to require the presence of a .priest was San Xavier, to 
 which was assigned one of the new missionaries, the Rev. 
 Francisco Garcez. We must here call to the mind of the 
 reader that the different missions had passed through many 
 trials from their establishment to the time the Jesuit Fathers 
 were compelled to abandon them. The most severe of all 
 was a revolt of the Pimas and Ceris, which broke out in 
 1751, and lasted over two years, causing the death of several 
 missionaries and obliging the others to temporarily leave 
 their missions until better times should come. This revolt 
 subsided in 1754, as is shown by the following note extracted 
 from the records of Tubac : 
 
 "On the 21st of November, 1751, all this Pima nation rebelled and de- 
 prived this mission of ics spiritual minister until now, 1754, in which year the 
 Indians have returned to their pueblo, meaning, as they say, to live peaceably. 
 And for the authenticity of this writing, I sign it. 
 
 Feancisco Paner." 
 
 The priest who wrote this note was then alone in the mis- 
 sions of the northern part of the province, as we see by the 
 different visits he made at that time, from Tubac to San 
 Xavier and Tucson. The baptisms he administered the 
 
6 San Xavier del Bac. 
 
 same year in these missions are, for Tubac, 49; for Tucson 
 50; and for San Xavier, 43. 
 
 The revolt alluded to had been instigated, says the author 
 of the Rudo Ensayo, by a certain Luis, from Saric, (Sonora) 
 who pretended to be a wizard, and made the Indians con- 
 sider as advantageous to them what he intended for his own 
 benefit. 
 
 The missions which had escaped going to complete ruin 
 during this revolt, were hardly started again when the Jes- 
 uits were expelled. No wonder that Father Garcez found 
 San Xavier in a pitiable condition. This mission, says A. 
 Velasco, in his Noticias Estadisticas, was very poor when the 
 missionary took possession of it. It was lacking the means 
 necessary not only to support a priest, but even to furnish 
 the most essential things for the worthy celebration of the 
 sacred mysteries. But these difficulties were not enough to 
 deter the new Apostle from his undertaking. As he aimed 
 only at the spiritual welfare of the Indians, he thought but 
 very little of his personal comfort. His zeal won the ad- 
 miration of the Indians as they saw him accommodating him- 
 self to their barbarous customs. His bed was the bare 
 ground, and for covering he had nothing but his clothes. His 
 food was that of the Indians, as he had no purveyor but 
 Providence alone. His breakfast consisted of a cup of 
 atole (corn mush). Instead of bread, tortillas (pancakes); 
 and some dish of wild plants such as quelites, sow-thistle, 
 and occasionally roasted corn, made up his whole fare . He 
 never used tobacco in any shape, but carried it always with 
 him in order to gratify the Indians.* Such a moitified way 
 of living was evidently imposed upon him originally by 
 circumstances; but what is worthy of admiration is that 
 Father Garcez did not improve it, even afterwards, when 
 thing -i were better regulated and when a certain amount of 
 provisions was regularly furnished by the government to the 
 missionaries. All he could get in the way of sugar, choc- 
 
 * These details about F. Garcez are extracted from the Corona Serafica 
 del CfaUgpi de Santa GrtU de Querataro — a work which was published in 
 Mexico, 1792, and which gives the history of the missions of Sonora during 
 the administration of the Franciscan Fathers. 
 
San Xavier del Bac. 7 
 
 olate and other supplies, was carefully stored and kept for 
 the purpose of gratifying his Indians. These articles were 
 partly issued to them as delicacies, and partly sold in order 
 to get money wherewith to purchase agricultural implements. 
 By this liberality he won completely the affection and the 
 respect of the Indians. During his stay at San Xavier, 
 that is to say from 1768 to 1778, this zealous missionary 
 visited several times all the Indian tribes of Arizona, and 
 prepared almost all of them to receive missionaries, had 
 these been sent to them. But owing to a want of material 
 resources, or rather to a lack of energy on the part of the 
 military authorities, two new missions only could be estab- 
 lished during his life and under his leadership. These are 
 the Immaculate Conception and St. Peter and St. Paul, 
 which were opened in March, 1778, on the Colorado river. 
 
 That the Papago Indians must have been greatly bene- 
 fitted by the presence of such a man of God amongst them 
 for the period of ten years, nobody will doubt. As we see 
 in the Corona Serafica, the Franciscans, as the Jesuits, their 
 predecessors in the missions, were all zealous men — men 
 who worked faithfully in the duties of their vocation, and 
 who succeeded, by hard labor and privations, not only to 
 teach the Indians the way of salvation, but also how to pass 
 from the miserable condition in which they had been found 
 to the state of a civilized life. Another proof of the success 
 these missionaries had at San Xavier is the church they 
 have left in that Mission, which church, though greatly 
 injured by the time which has elapsed since its erection, is 
 yet, however, a monument attracting the attention of every 
 stranger coming to Arizona. 
 
 The date, 1797, which is seen on one of the doors of this 
 church, is, according to the tradition, the date of the monu- 
 ment's completion, the building of which had required four- 
 teen years. This is confirmed by the testimony of a few 
 persons whom we have seen since we have been living in 
 Arizona, and who assert that they assisted at the dedication 
 of the church. 
 
 Who are the priests that built it ? 
 
8 San Xavier del Bac. 
 
 No mention has been made of their names in any of the 
 records we have met with, nor did those true sons of the 
 humble St. Francis put on the walls any mark that could 
 manifest their personal merit to future generations. 
 What they did was to place the coat-of-arms of their Order 
 on the frontispiece of the church, as if to say to us: We, 
 unknown to you, poor religious of St. Francis, have built 
 this for you; pray for us! Those men have been very diff- 
 erent in that respect from many of the visitors who, incon- 
 siderately, we' suppose, have contributed too much to the 
 defacement of the monument by writing or carving inscrip- 
 tions on it. The missionaries who had left their country to 
 go after the conquest of souls for Heaven, were not working 
 for fame or any personal interest. What they aimed at was 
 to please God in the discharge of their duties, leaving to 
 Him to take note of the little good they might be able to do. 
 Nevertheless, if the tradition be right about 1he lime spent 
 for the building of the church, we can raise the veil of 
 humility by looking at the names of the missionaries of whom 
 mention is made in the church records during the said 
 period. According to this tradition the present church, 
 which was built near and to replace the old one left by the 
 Jesuits, was commenced in 1783, and, as inferred from the 
 books, under the administration of the Eev. Balthasar Carillo, 
 whose name is mentioned in said books from May 22d, 1780, 
 to 1794. His successor as Superior of the Mission was his 
 assistant priest, the Rev. Narciso Gutierres, who remained in 
 charge until 1799, having successively as assistants the Rev. 
 Mariano Bordoy, Ramon Lopes and Angel Alonzo de Prado. 
 From these considerations, we may safely conclude that it 
 is to the above-named priests, and especially to the two 
 who acted as Superiors, that we are indebted for the too 
 much dilapidated, but yet elegant and rich church of San 
 Xavier. 
 
 The Rev. Balthasar Carillo and the Rev. Narciso Gutier- 
 res were not permitted to remain at San Xavier until the 
 end of their useful apostolic career. Both of them, and 
 probably for the purpose of using their experience for the 
 
San X avi k.k del Bao. 9 
 
 building up of a new church, were assigned one after 
 the other to the Mission of Tumacacori, where they died. In 
 the year 1822, Deo. 13, we see by the records of that church, 
 J. Barnon Liberos, minister of the Mission of San Jose' de 
 Tumacacori, transferred the bones of the Keverend Bal- 
 thasar Carillo and Narciso Gutierres from the old church to 
 the new one, and buried them in the sanctuary at the gospel 
 side. In token of its authenticity, the paragraph of the 
 records bore the signature of Earn on Liberos. In another 
 writing of the 1st of January, 1821, referring to a pastoral 
 visit of the Bishop of Sonora to the Mission of Tumacacori, 
 we find that the death of Father Gutierres had occurred only 
 a short time previous to the said date. As for Father 
 Carillo, we have no record about the time his useful life was 
 ended. 
 
 It may be asked here what were the means the mission- 
 aries had at their disposal for the erection of such structures 
 as those, the remains of which are seen at San Xavier, 
 Tumacacori and other places. 
 
 Leaving apart the marvelous products of the rich mines 
 which are supposed to have been held in possession by the 
 ancient missionaries, and which, probably, have never ex- 
 isted as such, as no mention is made of them in the old 
 records, we answer the question : According to the writers 
 of two of the works which have contributed to the redac- 
 tion of this notice, the Bado Easayo and the Noticias Esta- 
 dislicas, the churches were built by the missionaries, with 
 the sole product of the land assigned by the government 
 to each one of the missions, which land was cultivated by 
 the Indians under the direction of their respective minis- 
 ters. To this resource we might add the product of the 
 live stock, which was considerable at times in several of 
 the missions, and also what the missionaries were able to 
 spare of the scant allowance of provisions which were is- 
 sued to them by the government, amounting yearly to $300 
 for each one. This explains why the building of the 
 churches required so long a time, and also why some of 
 them remained unfinished in some of their parts . 
 
10 San Xavier del Bac. 
 
 Deeming it will not be out of place, we will say a few 
 words about the dealing of the missionaries with the In- 
 dians and about the way they taught them, little by little , 
 the manners of a civilized life. First of all, it must be 
 borne in mind that orders had been given, over and over 
 again by the Kings of Spain, that the Indians should be 
 treated fairly, as we see it stated by Juan de Solorzano * 
 and that the missionaries never departed from the royal de- 
 cree. Bat, to confine ourselves to our subject, we will only 
 give some particulars we have received about San Xavier, 
 from men who saw the Fathers at work and who were 
 employed by them, as foremen, in the different labors car- 
 ried on in this Mission. According to the statement of these 
 men, the Indians were free to work for themselves or for the 
 church ; to cultivate their own fields or the church land, 
 with this difference, that the former had to look for their 
 maintenance, while the latter were supported by the Mis- 
 sion. Those who worked for the Mission were depending on 
 it for food and clothing, not only for themselves, but for 
 their families. For that purpose, provisions of any kind 
 were stored in the mission house, called the Convent, and dis- 
 tributed in due time. Early in the morning the Indians had 
 to go to church for morning prayers and to hear Mass. 
 Breakfast followed this exercise. Soon after a peculiar ring 
 of the bell called the workmen. They assembled in the 
 atrium, a little square place in front of the church, where 
 they were counted by one of the priests and assigned to the 
 different places where work was to be done. When the 
 priests were in sufficient number they used to superintend 
 the work, laboring themselves, otherwise they employed 
 some trustworthy Mexicans to represent them. Towards 
 the evening, a little before sundown, the workmen were 
 permitted to go home. On their arrival in the houses 
 which were located round the plaza, one of the priests, 
 standing in the middle of this plaza, said the evening pray- 
 ers in a loud voice in the language of the tribe. Every 
 word he pronounced was repeated by some selected In- 
 
 *De Indiarum Jure, lib. Ill, Caput VI. 
 
San Xavier del Bac. 11 
 
 dians who stood between him and the houses, and lastly by 
 all the Indians present in the tribe. Notwithstanding these 
 orderly measures, many of the Indians fled every day, as is 
 reported in the Rudo Ensayo, from their respective squads 
 before reaching the place where they had to work, and tried 
 only to be present at meals. Nevertheless, these are the 
 men who, by their work, enabled the missionaries to build 
 their churches and houses, learning at the same time how to 
 earn their living in the future. That the Indians must have 
 been happy under such a rule, nobody can doubt, and San 
 Xavier, owing perhaps to the vicinity of the Presidio of 
 Tucson,* became afterwards one of the most flourishing 
 missions under the administration of the Franciscan Fathers. 
 It continued progressing until the year 1810. Then was 
 heard, all [over the territory of New Spain the cry of In- 
 dependence. 
 
 Very soon the government commenced to feel embarrassed 
 financially, on account of the expense it had to incur in 
 order to sustain itself, and the annual help allowed to the 
 missionaries failed to come in due time, and, in many in- 
 stances, failed to be paid at all. The result to the missions 
 was a hindrance to their material progress. From this time 
 they had to suffer, more or less, year by year, either from 
 the revolutions or from the penury of material resources, 
 until the last stroke was aimed at them by the expulsion of 
 their missionaries, which followed the fall of the Colonial 
 government in Mexico, December 2d, 1827. 
 
 Here ends the history of the Indian missions. By the 
 fall of the Spanish domination and the expulsion of the 
 Franciscans, the Indians remained without any protection. 
 They could not but miss at once the support they were 
 wont to receive from the church. In a very short time, 
 many of them, finding themselves without any resources, 
 commenced to scatter, here and there, and to return gradu- 
 ally to the customs of their former Indian life. Then fol- 
 lowed the destruction of the live stock left by the mission- 
 
 *This Presidio was established some time after the revolt of the Pimas, 
 either to prevent any subsequent rebellion on the part of these Indians or to 
 protect them against their cruel enemy, the Apaches. 
 
12 San Xavier del Bac. 
 
 aries, and the settlement by the soldiers and Mexican people 
 on the mission lands. Thus'the population of the missions 
 commenced to be a mixed one. The Franciscan Fathers 
 who ministered in the Mission of San Xavier, either as resi- 
 dent priests or temporarily, were sixteen in number. The 
 Indians who formed the population of the mission were 
 the Papagoes, as has been said at the beginning of this 
 notice. 
 
 These Indians belong to the large tribe known by the 
 name of Pimas, and who are scattered, as yet, over a great 
 portion of Sonora and Arizona. Those living in the south- 
 ern part of Sonora were called Indians of the Pimeria Baja, 
 while those who had settled on what has become since 
 Arizona, were designated by the name of Indians of the 
 Pimeria Alta. The latter were always more exposed to the 
 attacks of the Apaches, as they were too far from the pre- 
 sidios or military posts to receive any protection from 
 them. Owing, undoubtedly, to this fact, they were all good 
 warriors and succeeded not only in defending themselves, 
 but many times in preventing the enemy from molesting 
 others. 
 
 According to the testimony of the authors we have men- 
 tioned several times, these Indians, though barbarous in 
 their customs, and very much inclined to the use of in- 
 toxicating liquors, which they made from several kinds of 
 wild fruits,* were industrious, thrifty and more sociable 
 than the other Indians living in the missions. Their moral 
 character was excellent. Previous to the establishment of 
 the missions amongst them, they had already, it seems, a 
 knowledge of the sacredness of marriage, as they kept it 
 always in its unity and perpetuity. They were so strict on 
 this point that the woman who committed adultery was 
 punished with death. As far as we know and have been 
 told by several persons, the same rule is in force yet among 
 the Papagoes. It is also said by many who are acquainted 
 with these Indians that they are the most virtuous people in 
 
 *The most noxious of these liquors was that made of the elder tree 
 berrv. 
 
San Xavier del Bac. 13 
 
 the world. As for the other tribes, it is but too well known 
 that they have greatly changed their former feelings about 
 morality since they have been in contact with the white 
 people. The Indians are generally chaste in their language, 
 neither do they curse or use any profane words. The num- 
 ber of the Indians living at San Xavier can only be approxi- 
 mately calculated, as many of them do not remain in the 
 pueblo after the harvest of the wheat. Those who are 
 steady in residing are about five hundred in number, form- 
 ing, as it were, two villages, each one having a special chief. 
 As for the total number of Papagoes living in Arizona, it is 
 estimated to. be about 5,000. Amongst the customs which 
 were observed by the Indians, there is one which yet pre- 
 vails in the Papago tribe, and which we think should be 
 mentioned; and this is, the purification which is practiced 
 for forty days by any Indian who has killed any one, whethei 
 with just reason or not. During said length of time this 
 Indian cannot reside in the pueblo, but must remain out in 
 some place where his relatives will carry him the food he 
 needs, and leave him alone. It is only after the purification 
 time is over that the Indian can be received back into 
 the tribe to be treated as a brave, if the man he has killed 
 was an enemy. 
 
 As regards the modern history of the ^Mission of San 
 Xavier, we have but little to say. As a consequence of the 
 expulsion of the Franciscans, the secular priests being very 
 few in the province of Sonora, it was condemned to remain 
 without a resident minister for a long time. It is true it 
 was never abandoned, as the Bishop of Sonora had it put 
 under the charge of the parish priest of Magdalena; but, 
 owing to the distance, and the danger from the Apaches, 
 who, at all times, were infesting the country, the visits of 
 the priests were only on rare occasions. This state of 
 things lasted until 1859. At that time the territory of Ari- 
 zona was aggregated, by a decision of Rome, to the diocese 
 of Santa F6, New Mexico, whose bishop, the Right Rev. 
 J . B. Lamy, made it his duty to have the new field opened 
 to his labors, to be visited and provided with some priests. 
 
 BANCROFT 
 L/BRAPv 
 
14 San Xavier del Bag. 
 
 at once. The first priest his lordship sent for that purpose 
 was his worthy Vicar-General, the active and energetic Yery 
 Kev. J. P. Machebeuf, who has since become the Vicar- 
 Apostolic of Colorado. The reverend gentleman found the 
 church of San Xavier the only one which had not gone to 
 complete ruin amongst all the missions of Arizona, still 
 showing many unequivocal proofs of its former beauty. He 
 saw, however, that the vaults of this temple had been greatly 
 injured by leakage, and his first care was to have a coat of 
 mortar put on the outside surface, in order to prevent 
 any further damage. This repair, which we do not doubt 
 has saved the church from falling down, was done either by 
 the work or by the voluntary contribution of the poor peo- 
 ple who lived in the vicinity at that time. The Indians of 
 San Xavier, as we have been told by the Eight Eev. Bishop 
 Machebeuf, had not forgotten entirely what they had been 
 taught by the old missionaries. As soon as they knew that 
 there was a priest amongst them, they rushed to the church 
 and rang the bells to welcome him as a minister of God. 
 They went to listen to his instructions, and brought to him 
 their children in order to have them baptized. In a very 
 short time the missionary ascertained that they knew some 
 prayers, and, to his great amazement, even two or three 
 were able to sing at mass, though not exactly according to 
 the rules and notations of the Gregorian chant. This was 
 more than was expected; but there was another agreeable 
 surprise for the priest when he saw the Indians bringing to 
 him several church articles, which they had kept for years in 
 their houses lest they should be stolen. 
 
 The Very Kev. J. P. Machebeuf could not spend more 
 than a few months in Arizona, the duties of his office as 
 Vicar-General calling him again near his Bishop. It was 
 with sincere regret, as we have heard him say, that he was 
 obliged to leave the country; but he was confident the report 
 he should be able to make would determine the Eight 
 Eeverend Bishop to send another priest to it. It so hap 
 pened; another priest was sent soon afterwards. 
 
 In March, 1864, the Eight Eeverend Bishop came to Ari- 
 
San Xavier del Bac. 15 
 
 zona and made a pastoral visitation to the Mission of San 
 Xavier, and to the new parish of San Augustin, at Tucson. 
 These churches were administered at that time, the former 
 by the Rev. C. Mesea, and the latter by the Rev. L. Bosco, 
 both priests of the Society of Jesus. The next year the agent 
 for the Papagoes, Col. C. D. Poston, made an application to 
 the bishop for a Catholic teacher who could take charge of a 
 school for these Indians. The petition could not but be 
 favorably received. The teacher was sent, with three mis- 
 sionaries, also assigned to the Missions of Arizona; but 
 when he arrived at Tucson, Feb. 7, 1866, the Indian Agent 
 had left the country, and the school could not be started as 
 intended — that is to say, as a school supported by the Govern- 
 ment. Nevertheless, the priest who then acted as Vicar- 
 General in Arizona determined to use the teacher sent by 
 the bishop, and opened a school at his own expense for the 
 Indians until things could be regulated, as had been pro- 
 posed by the agent. This school was opened in the church 
 building, but owing to the negligence of the Indians in send- 
 ing their children in sufficient numbers to it, and to the very 
 limited means the priest had at his disposal, it lasted only a 
 few months. No other school was established for the Papa- 
 goes until September, 1873, under the administration of R. 
 A. Wilbur as Indian Agent. 
 
 This school, which was established and supported at the 
 expense of the Government, was directed by three Sisters of 
 St. Joseph. From its beginning it seemed that it would be 
 a real success, and it proved so all the time it was in exist- 
 ence. Unfortunately, this length of time was too short. By 
 order of the Department, the Papago Agency was consoli- 
 dated with that of the Pimas on the 1st of April, 1876, and the 
 school suppressed the same day. Though ignoring the rea- 
 sons which may have justified such an order, we cannot but 
 regret very deeply that it should have been issued. The 
 Indians were pleased with the way the Sisters treated the 
 children, as they have declared several times to the Inspec- 
 tors sent by the Government to visit the Agency. Indeed, 
 the Sisters did all in their power to make themselves useful 
 
16 San Xavier del Bac. 
 
 in the tribe. Besides teaching the children, they visited the 
 sick and took care of them during the leisure time left by the 
 school. It was not long after the school had been established, 
 that a good number of the young Indians could make a fair 
 show in spelling and reading. Gradually the teachers and 
 pupils overcame the great difficulty of understanding each 
 other, and it was no little pleasure for the visitors of the 
 school to see the Sisters speaking now in English, then in 
 the language of the tribe, and being answered by the pupils 
 in either language equally as well. The teaching, besides 
 reading, writing and arithmetic, embraced the household 
 work for the young girls. The Indian children were not 
 very regular in attendance, still, the classes were numerous 
 enough to be conducted with success. Though the school 
 lasted only a short time, it has not been fruitless. This can 
 be seen by the manner in which some of the pupils have 
 regulated their way of living since. From April, 1876, the 
 Papago Indians have remained without a special agent. 
 What the Government gained by that we do not know; but 
 what is obvious to all people acquainted with these Indians 
 is that the loss has been for them. Being far from the agent 
 to whose care they were committed, they felt left too much 
 to themselves, and the consequence to too many of them is 
 that they have fallen back either materially or morally. In 
 these late years they have indulged freely in the use of strong 
 liquors, which has been the cause not only of the squan- 
 dering of the little money they had, but of many quarrels, 
 ending, too often, in the loss of life. 
 
 Religious service is held at San Xavier regularly every 
 other Sunday at 9 a. m. 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 The church, as can be seen by its arches, surpassing the 
 semicircle and the ornamental work in low relief which 
 covers the m flat surfaces of some parts of itsjvvalls, belongs to 
 the Moorish style. 
 
 The first thing to be noticed is the atrium, a little en- 
 closure 66x33 feet, which separates the church from the 
 plaza, and which was used, as we have seen, for the place of 
 
San Xavier del Bac:. 17 
 
 meetings relating to matters not directly connected with re- 
 ligion . 
 
 On the frontispiece, which shows the width of the church 
 with its two towers, is placed, in low relief, the coat-of-arms 
 of the order of St. Francis of Assisi.* It consists of an es- 
 cutcheon, with a white ground rilled in with a twisted cord,f 
 an 1 a cross on which are nailed one arm of our Saviour and 
 one of St. Francis, representing the union of the disciple 
 with the Divine Master in charity and the love of suffering. 
 The arm of our Lord is bare, while that of St. Francis is 
 covered. On the right side of the escutcheon is the mono- 
 gram of Jesus the Saviour of men, and that of the Blessed 
 Virgin Mary on the left. The frontispiece was surmounted 
 by a life-size statue of St. Francis, which has now gone 
 pretty nearly all to pieces under the action of time. 
 
 The church, which is built of stone and brick, is 105x27 
 feet inside the walls. Its form is that of a cross, the tran- 
 sept forming on each side of the nave a chapel of twenty-one 
 feet square. The church has only one nave, which is divided 
 into six portions, marked by as many arches, each one rest- 
 ing on two pillars, set against the walls. Above the transept 
 is a cupola of about fifty feet in elevation, the remainder of 
 the vaults in the church being only about thirty feet high. 
 
 Going from the front door to the main altar, there is on 
 the right hand side wall a fresco representing the coming of 
 the Holy Ghost upon the disciples. Opposite to it is the 
 picture, also in fresco, of the Last Supper. Both paintings 
 measure about 9x5 feet. 
 
 In the first chapel to the right hand of the two altars, one 
 facing the nave with the image of our "Lady of Sorrows," 
 standing at the foot of a large cross, which is deeply en- 
 graved in the Avail, and the other one with the image of the 
 Immaculate Conception. In the same chapel are two fres- 
 coes representing Our Lady of the Bosary and the hidden 
 life of our Saviour. The opposite chapel is also adorned 
 with two altars. One of them is dedicated to the Passion of 
 
 "The Founder of the Fianciscan Order. 
 tA part of the Franciscan's dress. 
 
18 San Xavier del Bac. 
 
 our Lord, and the other to St. Joseph. There are also two 
 paintings, the subjects of which are : Our Lady of the Pil- 
 lar* and the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple. 
 
 The main altar, which stands at the head of the church, 
 facing the nave, is dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, the 
 patron saint the Jesuits had chosen for the first church they 
 had established in the mission. Above the image of St. 
 Francis Xavier is that of the Holy Virgin; between the 
 statues of St. Peter and St. Paul, and at the summit of the 
 altar piece, the bust of God, the Creator. The pictures 
 which are seen on the walls near this altar, are : on the right 
 hand side, "The Adoration of the Wise Men," with the 
 "Flight into Egypt;" and on the left, "The Adoration of the 
 Shepherds," with the "Annunciation." 
 
 These altars, and especially the principal one, are deco- 
 rated with columns and a great profusion of arabesques, in 
 low relief, all gilded or painted with different colors, accord- 
 ing to the requirements of the Moorish style. 
 
 Besides the images we have mentioned, there are the 
 statues of the twelve Apostles, placed in niches cut in the 
 pillars of the church, and many others, representing gener- 
 ally some saints of the Order of St. Francis. There are 
 also in the dome of the cupola the pictures of several 
 personages of the Order who occupied high rank in the 
 Church . 
 
 Going again to the front door, there are two small open- 
 ings communicating with the towers. The first room on 
 the right, which is formed by the inside of the tower, is 
 about twelve feet square, and is used for the ministration of 
 baptisms. A similar room, which is of no particular use 
 now, but which corresponds to the mortuary chapel of the 
 old basilicas, is located in the left tower. From each one 
 of these rooms commence the stairs, cut in the thickness of 
 the walls, and leading to the upper stories. Starting from 
 the baptistery, the second flight reaches the choir of the 
 church. A good view of the upper part of the monument 
 can be had from that place. There are also some frescoes 
 
 "An apparition of the Mother of God, at Saragosa. 
 
San Xavier del Bac. 19 
 
 worth noticing. These are the Holy Family, facing the main 
 altar; St. Francis, represented as raptured by heavenly love, 
 in a fiery chariot; St. Dominic, receiving from the Blessed 
 Virgin the mission to promote the devotion of the Bosary in 
 the world; and the four Evangelists, with their characteris- 
 tic attributes. Two flights more lead to the belfry, where 
 are four rough and home-made bells of small size. Twenty- 
 two steps more bring the visitor to the top story, and under 
 the little dome covering the tower, an elevation of about 
 seventy-five feet above the ground. Here a glance can be 
 cast on the beautiful and extensive valley of the Santa Cruz, 
 and on the surrounding country. 
 
 One of the towers, as can be seen, was never completed; 
 it lacks the dome and plastering from the second story above. 
 The reason why it remained unfinished we do not know; but 
 we suppose it was the scarcity of means which was felt by 
 the missionaries at the beginning of this century, as stated 
 in the notice. Some people venture to say that the fact was 
 owing to the death of the principal builder, which must 
 have occurred before the completion of the work. Some 
 others believe that it was in order to avoid t the payment of 
 a tribute which, according to them, was due to the Pope by 
 all finished churches. Neither one of these explanations is 
 admissible by us. The first, because the tradition says that 
 the principal builders of this church were two brothers by 
 the name of Gauna, who were subsequently employed by 
 the missionaries to build the Church of Tumacacori; and the 
 second, because there is no mention whatever in history of 
 any tribute to be paid to the Pope, by any church, whether 
 finished or unfinished. 
 
 On the west side of the church, separated from it by a 
 narrow passage, is an inclosure with an opening on the north 
 and a small chapel standing at its western side. The ground 
 enclosed was formerly used as a cemetery, and the chapel 
 was the place where the dead bodies were kept until the 
 ceremony of the burial could be performed. 
 
 On the east side of the church is the mission building, 
 which formerly occupied a somewhat extensive space, and 
 
20 San Xavier del Bac. 
 
 consisted of the rooms necessary for the priests, of a soap 
 factory and stores for the provisions. Besides, there were 
 several farming houses conveniently located on the mission 
 land. Of these buildings there are now only two rooms, 
 making a body with the church, and four extending south 
 and facing on the church plaza. 
 
 x4.ll these rooms were repaired by the Government in 1873, 
 with the consent and under the supervision of the Bishop, 
 and used as a schoolhouse until 1876. 
 
 The little butte adjoining the church shows, on its top, 
 the crater of an extinct volcano. 
 
 Here ends what we have to say about the Mission of San 
 Xavier del Bac and its church. That our observations on the 
 subject are incomplete, we admit; but we trust our intention 
 will be rightly interpreted. We had nothing in view but to 
 give as general information the few facts we have been able 
 to find mentioned in the old records, and to contribute to 
 the completion of St. Mary's Hospital with the little money 
 we might realize by the sale of this notice. 
 
 /