Father Kino and His Work
One of the greatest missionaries was Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, a Jesuit, who introduced European culture to this region. He founded his first Sonora mission in 1687, and explored and mapped the Upper Pima Indian country, now southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. Wherever he went, he spread the Christian doctrine, gained friends among the Indians, and established missions. He initiated ranching on this frontier by introducing cattle and other livestock. To such beginnings some of our thriving modern towns owe their existence.
Mission church prior to stabilization