The Guevavi Mission has been overgrown and in ruins since it was first photographed in the 1880's. But one has only to visit the magnificent Mission at San Xavier del Bac south of Tucson or the wonderful Mission at Tumacácori to understand the importance of the chain of missions inspired by Padre Kino that lead into Arizona and Baja California.
Again, we have historian Mary Bingham to thank for the research done on the Guevavi including:

-RALPH WINGFIELD'S EFFORTS TO SAVE THE MISSION (1956-1988)

-GUEVAVI MISSION AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONSERVANCY (1988-1992)

-A TIMELINE OF THE HISTORY OF THE GUEVAVI MISSION

-A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF JESUIT PRIESTS WHO WERE STATIONED AT GUEVAVI

-A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF FRANCISCAN PRIESTS WHO WERE STATIONED AT GUEVAVI

-A LISTING OF THE VARIOUS NAMES USED OVER HISTORY FOR THE GUEVAVI MISSION

GUEVAVI MISSION: RALPH & MARJORIE WINGFIELD (1956-1988)
Nearly forgotten during the early Arizona territorial days, the mission was owned by a series of owners, many of whom did their best to protect it. Several owners tried to find a way to have it declared a historical site in order to preserve it, but with little luck.

In Ralph Wingfield's time, there can be little doubt that Ralph had his eye on Guevavi and surrounding ranch land for some time as he knew the area well. When Anne T. Rodermond put the ranch up for sale in 1956, Ralph quickly closed the deal. Guevavi would become the headquarters for the Wingfield Cattle Company's operations that would grow to include several other ranches in Arizona and one in Mexico.

The Guevavi property was special because it included the site of Mission Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi, the only remaining Jesuit mission in Arizona. Ralph and Marjorie became the champions who fought for years to preserve and protect this historic and sacred place in the history of Arizona.

"I always worry about it. I have been protecting the mission from treasure hunters, pot hunters and vandals all these years," sighed Ralph Wingfield, 76, as he stood in the crumbing ruins of Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi Mission Church, erected in 1751. (This was the opening paragraph of Charles Hillinger's article appearing in the Los Angeles Times on January 19, 1986.)

"I have tried to interest the Catholic Church, the National Park Service, historical societies and others in the mission. I'm willing to donate the church ruins and surrounding land with mission building foundations providing I am guaranteed the site will be preserved and protected. But so far I have had no takers…." Ralph continued.

After two years of negotiations, Ralph and The Archaeological Conservancy of Albuquerque, New Mexico came to an understanding on September 14, 1988. The Conservancy accepted the challenge Ralph had set forth and the donation of 7.76 acres including the mission and surrounding ruins were at last accomplished.


GUEVAVI MISSION: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONSERVANCY (1988-1992)
The Archaeological Conservancy of Albuquerque, New Mexico, after two years of negotiations, agreed to accept the donation of the Guevavi Mission site from Ralph Wingfield and the Wingfield Cattle Co. on September 14, 1988. The National Park Service (NPS) which owned the nearby Tumacácori National Monument was interested in the site, but not ready to act.

Nick Bleser, Chief of Interpretation at Tumacácori at the time, recalled that the NPS was aware of the importance of the mission. "But the money necessary to preserve and protect the mission ruins has not been available," he said in a 1986 interview with Charles Hillinger that appeared in the Los Angeles Times on January 19, 1986.

Four years later October 28, 1992, The Conservancy in consideration of $39,776.00 granted to the United States of America, Mission Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi comprising almost 8 acres. It was now part of the NPS under the administration of the newly designated Tumacácori National Historical Park.


TIMELINE: MISSION DE LOS SANTOS ÁNGELES DE GUEVAVI
1691 Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino first set foot in the Pima Indian village of Guevavi in January naming it a "visita" or outpost of the Mission Dolores (Nuestra Señora de los Dolores) located in present-day Sonora, Mexico. Kino also gave it the name "Mission San Gabriel de Guevavi."
Source: Kino's journals

1701 "Padre Juan de San Martín assigned to Guevavi as it's first resident priest. Martín was responsible for building the first church or chapel. Kino named Guevavi as the cabecera or 'head' mission for the area which included the visitas of San Cayetano de Tumacácori, San Luis de Bacoancos & Los Reyes de Sonoita."
Sources: John L. Kessell, Mission of Sorrows: Jesuit Guevavi and the Pimas, 1691-1767 University of Arizona Press 1970; National Register

1701 Padre Kino wrote there were 400 cattle & 200 sheep at Guevavi in April. Source: Prezelski article March 28, 2000

1728 "The first working livestock ranch in what is today the State of Arizona was established by Juan Bautista de Anza, Sr. in 1728 near the Guevavi Mission."
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/guevavi-ranch.htm

1730s "Manuel José de Sosa and his wife Nicolasa Gómez de Silva operated Rancho Guevavi near the mission of the same name for Juan Bautista de Anza, Sr."
Source: http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/tuma/hrs/chap5.htm

1732 Jesuits attempt to restaff Mission Guevavi
Source: Prezelski article, March 28, 2000

1732 "In May, Padre Juan Baustista Graszhoffer added the name San Raphael to the name of the mission, making it Mission San Gabriel y Rafael de Guevavi."
Source: John L. Kessell, Mission of Sorrows

1732 Padre Joseph de Torres Perea reported that the local Indians were made Christians and received the Catholic faith.
Source: Report of Joseph de Torres Perea (AHS Misc file on Guevavi.)

1736 "Padre Jacobo Sedelmayr wrote that various mines had been discovered near the missions of San Xavier, Santa Maria Soanca and Guevavi."
Source: "Misc. notes AHS file Missions -- Arizona - Guevavi"

1744 "Between May 1732 and 1744, Torres Perea reported there 978 baptisms in the Guevavi register."
Source: Report of Joseph de Torres Perea (AHS Misc file on Guevavi.)

1750s "Possibly Padre Joseph Garrucho started calling the mission San Miguel. Thus 'all three of the principal archangels -- Los Santos Ángeles [ Gabriel, Raphael & Miguel] -- were invoked to protect and nurture the mission...'"
Source: John L. Kessell, Mission of Sorrows

1751 New mission building at Guevavi began at the request of Padre Joseph Garrucho and under the direction of master builder Don Joachín de Cásares
Source: John L. Kessell, Mission of Sorrows

1751 "November 21, Pima Uprising reaches Guevavi. The mission is abandoned."
Source: John L. Kessell, Mission of Sorrows; National Register

1752 Guevavi mission revived
Source: National Register

1752 Tubac Presidio established.
Source: Kessell (Friers)

1753 Padre Francisco Pauer re-opened the Santa Cruz group of missions and for the next 14 years peace and prosperity reigned.
Source: Article by Grace McCool

1756 Calabasas Mission is designated.
Source: NPS per Quimby article, Feb 15, 1991

1769 Mission Santos Angeles de Guevavi attacked at midday by Apaches
Source: "Misc. notes AHS file: Missions -- Arizona -- Guevavi"

1770-71 "Guevavi relegated to a visita, and Tumacacori designate as the cabecera."
Source: Kessell (Friers)

1771 Guevavi abandoned again.
Source: NPS per Quimby article, Feb 15, 1991

1773 Guevavi abandoned again.

1775 Guevavi abandoned by the Franciscans.
Source: Prezelski article, March 28, 2000



JESUIT PRIESTS WHO WERE STATIONED AT GUEVAVI

January 1691-March 1711 Eusebio Francisco Kino *

July 1701-Fall 1703 Juan de San Martín (www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/guevavi.htm)

1711-1713 Augustín de Campos of San Ignacio *

1711-1713 Luís Xavier Velarde of Dolores *

May 1732-Spring 1733 Juan Bautista Grazhoffer (died at Guevavi)

1733-1734 Phelipe Segesser (absent at least 5 months)

1735-Spring 1736 Gaspar Stiger of San Xavier *

Spring 1736-May 1737 Ignacio Xavier Keller of Soamaca *

Jun. 1737-Fall 1740 Alexandro Rapicani

Feb. 1741-Spring 1744 Joseph de Torres Perea

Spring 1744 Ildefonso de la Peña

Summer 1744-May 1745 Ignacio Xavier Keller of Soamca *

May 1745-Nov. 1751 Joseph Garrucho

Dec. 1753-Jan. 1760 Francisco Xavier Pauer

Jan. 1760-May 1761 Miguel Gerstner

May 1761-May 1763 Ignacio Pfefferkorn

June 1763-July 1767 Custodio Ximeno (last Jesuit priest due to the Jesuit
Expulsion of 1767)

Source: John L. Kessell, Mission of Sorrows: Jesuit Guevavi and the Pimas 1691-1767
Tucson: University of Arizona Press 1970
* Nonresident priests


FRANCISCAN PRIESTS WHO WERE STATIONED AT GUEVAVI
(Franciscan missionaries lived at Tumacácori while administering the missions of Tumacácori, Guevavi, Calabazas and Sonoitac.)

May 1768-Mar. 1772 Juan Crisóstomo Gil de Bernabé
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/juan-crisostomo-gil-de-bernabe.htm

Spring 1771-Sept. 1771 Francisco Sánchez Zúñiga
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/francisco-sanchez-zuniga.htm

Mid-Oct.1771 Juan José Agorreta
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/juan-jose-agorreta.htm

July 1772-Summer 1773 Bartolomé Ximeno
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/bartolome-ximeno.htm

Nov. 1772-Early 1775 Gaspar Francisco de Clemente
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/gaspar-francisco-de-clemente.htm

Oct. 1772-Early 1775 Joseph Matías Moreno
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/joseph-matias-moreno.htm

Early 1775-Mar. 1780 Pedro Antonio de Ariquibar
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/pedro-antonio-de-arriquibar.htm

Early 1775-Late Summer 1776 Tomás Eixarch
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/tomas-eixarch.htm

1775 Guevavi was abandoned for the last time.
Source: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/guevavi.htm


THE MANY NAMES OF MISSION LOS SANTOS ANGELES De GUEVAVI:
Guevavi has had many names over the centuries. Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino and two succeeding Jesuits priest gave the little Indian village and mission of Guevavi the names of the archangels in the hopes of making the rancheria and mission a center of Christianity in the New World.

- "gi vavhia" - meaning a big well or spring was the original Piman name for their village.

- "San Gabriel de Guevavi," was the name given to the village and soon to be rancheria (a farm supporting local missions in the area) established by Padre Kino in January of 1691. San Gabriel is the archangel who serves as the messenger of God.

- "San Gabriel y Rafael de Guevavi" After a rough start, Padre Juan Bautista Grazhoffer, became the first resident Jesuit priest in 30 years. He added the name Rafael or Raphael, the archangel of healing, to the site in 1732.

- "San Gabriel, Rafael y Miguel de Guevavi" Padre Joseph Garrucho was the most likely priest to have added the name of Miguel or Michael in 1750. San Miguel was the highest ranking of the archangels and is considered the leader of all the other angels. Garrucho probably figured he needed all the help he could get.

- "San Felipe de Jesus Guevavi" References to this mission appear to be in error. San Felipe was established at Terrenate in 1742.

- "San Luis de Guevavi" Recorded by Miguel Vengas on a 1751 map also appears to be an error.

- "Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi" Appears to be the name given to the mission by the Franciscans. Over the years, historians have also adopted the name to cut down on confusion. It translates as "The Holy Angeles of Guevavi." It is a lovely nickname for the historic little Jesuit mission that perches on a plateau above the Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona.