Historic Site and Historical Park · NPS · AZ · Roosevelt connection
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Photo: NPS Photo, Tumacácori on a Summer Day
Alerts and conditions
Overview
Tumacácori sits at a cultural crossroads in the Santa Cruz River valley. Here O’odham, Yaqui, and Apache people met and mingled with European Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, settlers, and soldiers, sometimes in conflict and sometimes in cooperation. Follow the timeworn paths and discover stories that connect us to enduring relationships, vibrant cultures, and traditions of long ago.
From the National Park Service
History
The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.
The Roosevelt connection
Protected by T.R.
- September 15, 1908: as President, Theodore Roosevelt set aside Tumacácori National Monument. Ruins of a Spanish colonial mission church on the Santa Cruz River, now Tumacácori National Historical Park.
presidency.ucsb.edu · web.archive.org · Roosevelt’s Public Lands
His proclamations and orders
- September 15, 1908: Proclamation 821, “Setting Aside the Tumacacori National Monument, Arizona.” Today’s site began with this document. The monument was abolished and the historical park created in its place in 1990.
Proclamation 821 in Theodore Roosevelt’s Executive Orders and Proclamations
What to see and do
Activities
- Arts and Culture
- Craft Demonstrations
- Cultural Demonstrations
- Live Music
- Astronomy
- Compass and GPS
- Geocaching
- Food
- Dining
- Guided Tours
- Self-Guided Tours - Walking
- Hiking
- Front-Country Hiking
- Living History
- Junior Ranger Program
- Wildlife Watching
- Birdwatching
- Park Film
- Museum Exhibits
- Shopping
- Bookstore and Park Store
Plan your visit
Hours
Hours of Operation: These hours apply to the visitor center and mission grounds. The Anza Trail, which runs through the park, can be accessed 24/7 from other trailheads.
Fees and passes
- Entrance - Per Person — $10.00
- Entrance - Education/Academic Groups
- Annual Entrance - Park — $35.00
The America the Beautiful pass covers entrance fees at federal recreation lands across all four agencies.
Getting there
Tumacácori National Historical Park is located off of Exit 29 of Interstate 19, forty-five miles (80 kilometers) south of Tucson, Arizona, and eighteen miles (26 kilometers) north of Nogales, Arizona.
Visitor centers
Weather
Located above the heat of the low desert, Tumacácori National Historical Park is in the mesquite highlands, close to 3,300 feet in elevation, where temperatures are five to ten degrees cooler than Tucson or Phoenix. Visiting the park in this moderate climate is pleasurable during any season of the year but remember to prepare accordingly. Bring layered clothing and drink plenty of water.
Phone: 5203775060
Whose lands these are
These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.
Photos
Pair it with
- Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge FWS · 24 miles
- Las Cienegas National Conservation Area BLM · 30 miles
- Saguaro National Park NPS · 48 miles
- Coronado National Memorial NPS · 49 miles
- San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area BLM · 52 miles
- Ironwood Forest National Monument BLM · 65 miles