Испанские миссии Соноранской пустыни XVII-XIX веков

17th to 19th century Catholic religious outposts

The Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert (lang es) are a series of Jesuit Catholic religious outposts established by the Spanish Catholic Jesuits and other orders for religious conversions of the Pima and Tohono O'odham indigenous peoples residing in the Sonoran Desert. An added goal was giving Spain a colonial presence in their frontier territory of the Sonora y Sinaloa Province in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and relocating by Indian Reductions (Reducciones de Indios) settlements and encomiendas for agricultural, ranching, and mining labor.

The missions are in an area of the Sonoran Desert, then called "Pimería Alta de Sonora y Sinaloa" (Upper Pima of Sonora and Sinaloa), now divided between the Mexican state of Sonora and the U. S. state of Arizona. Jesuits in missions in Northwestern Mexico wrote reports that throw light on the indigenous peoples they evangelized. A 1601 report, Relación de la Provincia de Nuestra Señora de Sinaloa was published in 1945. An important Jesuit report concerned the resistance in 1691 of the Tarahumara to evangelization, Historia de la tercera rebelión tarahumara. Another important Jesuit account of evangelization in Sonora is Estado y descripción de Sonora, 1730, which has considerable information about the size of the indigenous population, culture, and languages. In the Spring of 1687, Jesuit missionary named Father Eusebio Francisco Kino lived and worked with the Native Americans (including the Sobaipuri) in the area called the "Pimería Alta," or "Upper Pima Country," which presently is located in northern Sonora and southern Arizona. During Father Eusebio Kino's stay in the Pimería Alta, he founded over twenty missions in eight mission districts. On February 3, 1768, King Carlos III ordered the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain and its overseas empire. Despite the order, many Jesuits remained in and around the present day Tucson, Arizona, as late as the 1780s.

Missions were organized hierarchically, with one main mission (cabacera) managing several visitas. A particularly successful visita might be promoted to a mission in its own right. Name Mission Date founded Order Notes Source Mission Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Arizpe Arizpe Jesuits Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Nacameri Hermosillo Jesuits At other times variously a visita of Ures, Pópulo, and Opodepe. Mission San Francisco de Borja de Tecoripa Tecorípa Jesuits Mission San Francisco Xavier de Rebeico Villa Pesqueira (Mátape) Jesuits Also spelled Robesco. Mission San Javier de Arivechi Arivechi Jesuits Mission San Diego del Pitiquito Caborca Jesuits Originally named Natividad del Señor del Pitiquito. Mission San Ignacio de los Pimas San Ignacio Jesuits Mission Los Santos Reyes de Cucurpe Cucurpe Jesuits Founded by Marcos del Río. In ruins. Mission Santa Gertrudis del Sáric Sáric Jesuits Mission San Cayetano del Tumacácori Guevavi Jesuits The mission abandoned during the 1751 O'odham Uprising and rebuilt as Mission San José de Tumacácori to the west of the Santa Cruz River. Mission San José de Tumacácori Guevavi Jesuits Located west of the site of Mission San Cayetano del Tumacácori. Abandoned in 1828. The farming land around the mission was sold at auction in 1834. Nonextant. Mission San Cayetano de Calabazas Guevavi Jesuits Abandoned in 1786. Mission Santa Rosa de Bácum Bácum Jesuits Mission Nuestra Señora de Loreto y San Marcelo de Sonoyta Jesuits Mission San Cosme y Damián de Tucsón Franciscans Abandoned in 1828. Nonextant. Mission Puerto de Purísima Concepción Franciscans Located in California but administered as part of the Pimería Alta missions. Destroyed during a Quechan raid from July 17–19, 1781. Nonextant. A reconstruction of the mission was completed in 1923, which currently serves as a parish church. Mission San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicuñer Franciscans Located in California but administered as part of the Pimería Alta missions. Destroyed during a Quechan raid from July 17–19, 1781. Nonextant. Mission Santa Magdalena de Tepocas Jesuits Mission San Martín de Aribac Jesuits