The mission was founded in 1691 by
Eusebio Francisco Kino. It served as a headquarters for the local Jesuit missions; its were
Mission Santa Teresa de Atil and
Mission San Antonio de Oquitoa. The original mission complex was destroyed in 1695 in the
Pima Revolt. The missionary then in residence,
Daniel Januske, was absent during the attack. The church was rebuilt in 1699, and again in 1706. It was destroyed again in 1751 in the
second Pima Revolt, while under the supervision of
Jacobo Sedelmayr. His successor,
Luis Vivas, saw it rebuilt by 1764.
Antonio de los Reyes on 6 July 1772 submitted a report on the condition of the missions in the Upper and Lower
Pimería Alta. This was his report on Tubutama as translated by Kieran McCarty:
Felipe Guillén served as resident missionary from 1774 until he was killed by Apache raiders in 1778.
Francisco Antonio Barbastro oversaw yet another rebuilding in the 1780s. The arched entrance reflects the
Mudéjar style of Islamic architecture; however, the interior transept is dedicated to the
Passion of Christ, and the altarpiece has sculptured instruments of the Passion: crown of thorns, scourge, nails, tongs, ladder, and lances. A sculptured serpent crawls beneath an upper niche in the same altarpiece. This recess now holds a carved statue replicating
Sanctuary of Arantzazu, an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary at
Arantzazu in the
Basque Country (autonomous community) of northern Spain. == Missionaries ==