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Mission San Xavier 

 del Bac on the 



Tohono O'odham 

 Reservation — acclaimed 

 as the finest example 

 of mission design in 

 the U.S. — is often 

 referred to as the 

 "Sistine Chapel of the 

 Southwest". 



Located on the University 

 of Arizona campus and 

 open daily, Arizona State 

 Museum houses and 

 displays the world's largest 

 collection of Southwest 

 Indian pottery. 



ucson 



TUCSON, KNOWN AFFECTIONATELY BY ITS 

 residents as the Old Pueblo, is surrounded by the rugged 

 beauty of five mountain ranges and a desert forested with giant 

 cacti. Southern Arizona's Old West mystique still abides in this 

 vibrant city along with its Saguaros and the region's deep roots 

 in Native American, Spanish and Mexican cultures. The blending of 

 cultures has made the Old Pueblo an ideal gateway for exploring some 

 of the most fabled places in the Southwest as well as some important 

 new museums that capture a diverse and complex past. 



In the Santa Cruz Valley on the Tohono O'odham Reservation lies 

 the Mission San Xavier del Bac, the "White Dove of the Desert," built 

 between 1783 and 1797 by the followers of Father Eusebio Francisco 

 Kino, the legendary Jesuit missionary and explorer. Listed on the 

 National Register of Historic Places, San Xavier is considered by 

 many to be the finest example of Spanish colonial architecture in the 

 United States. It does indeed stand out on the horizon like a graceful, 

 glistening white dove, combining Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexican 

 Renaissance elements. The Mission is still an active parish, open every 

 day of the year, and its colorful original interior artwork remains as 

 fresh and vivid as ever. 



STEP EVEN FURTHER back in time to the earliest days of Tucson's 

 Native American tribes with a tour of the Arizona State Museum, an 

 affiliate of the Smithsonian. The museum houses the world's largest 

 Southwest Indian pottery collection, along with archaeological artifacts 

 and prints and photo negatives that highlight the histories of the 

 ancient O'odham, Hohokam and Mogollon cultures. 



To learn even more about the Tohono O'odham, visit the new 

 Tohono O'odham Nation Cultural Center and Museum near the 

 town of Sells, a 90-minute drive southwest of Tucson. Built within 

 sight of Baboquivari Peak, the O'odham nation's sacred mountain, the 

 museum is designed to help a new generation appreciate the culture 

 and tradition of the O'odham people and their contributions to our 

 country's history. 



For a taste of Tucson's pioneer past, stop by the Arizona Historical 

 Society, which houses the world's largest collection of Arizona's 

 historical artifacts, photos and documents. The museum has conserved 

 more than a half-million relics relating to Arizona's mining, ranching 

 and urban histories, and also operates two other important historical 

 museums in the Old Pueblo — the Fort Lowell Museum and the 

 Sosa-Carrillo Fremont House. 



Visit www.visitTucson.org for more information on Tucson's world-renowned 

 museums and historic landmarks. Tread the timeline of Tucson's tri-culture 

 blend! 



