Mission San Xavier del Bac.

Mission San Xavier del Bac is situated in the Santa Cruz Valley nine miles south of Tucson, Arizona, why the one tower was never completed is still a mystery, From the earliest times, the Tohono O'odham settlement in which the Mission is located was called Bac, "place where the water appears," because the Santa Cruz River, which ran underground, and reappears near the Mission. The present church was built from 1783 - 1797 by the Franciscan Fathers Juan Bautista Velderrain and Juan Bautista Llorenz. Little is know about the actual labor of the construction of the church, who was the architect, who were the artisans, but many believe it was the Tohono O'odham who fufilled these roles. The O'odham were seasonal farmers who took advantage of the rains. They grew crops such as sweet Indian corn, beans (tapery), squash, lentils and melons. They also took advantage of native plants, such as saguaro fruits, mesquite tree beans, cholla buds and mesquite candy (sap from the mesquite tree). At present very few O'odham farm due to lack of pumping of underground water. Today many O'odham work for the Tohono O'odham Nation. For years, many have known the people as Papago, but during the 1980s, Papago was officially changed to the Tohono O'odham, meaning Desert People in the O'odham language. The Tohono O'odham are closely related to the Pima Tribe and are most likely descendants of the prehistoric Hohokam Culture. Many O'odham that reside on the four land bases are Catholics, but are very aware of their "himdage" which means "way of life". Many traditions and beliefs of the O'odham elders continue to be handed down from one generation to another. The O'odham language is thriving. There are several different dialects and these dialects come from different parts of the reservation.