San Xavier Mission
Tohono O'odham Reservation
Tucson, Arizona
Early Fall 2004
My husband and I, along with our two dogs made a cross-country camping trip in October and November of 2004. We started from Maine, where we reside and our final destination was San Diego, CA where my brother lived.
We made many stops along the way during our 38-day, 6,000 mile trip and of course, we would spend time in Tucson, especially since we lived there for 4 years. We lived very close to the Tohono O'odham Reservation (the Papago) and when I lived there I would go there often.
When ever we have revisited Tucson, we always visit the Mission. The San Xavier Mission Church is located on the reservation, and the church is world-famous, the mystery of the missing tower unknown to this day. The church primarily serves the people of San Xavier Reservation. For history on the church, this is an excellent resource History of San Xavier Mission
I would always visit the old Mission Church. When one enters, you know this is a special place; you can feel the old wood, your senses filled with the scent of incense and the scent of burning candles. You can feel the spirits of this sacred place and an overwhelming sense of peace quiets the soul and heart. The sounds of life outside its doors fade away as you move through the church.
The October day we visited San Xavier, was a beautiful day, sunny and bright, but cool for Tucson. We arrived just as a ceremony was about to begin. The ceremony was in remembrance of all the Mexican people who have made the long desperate flight across the border to find work in the US and instead they found death in the harsh desert. Their trail ended upon Tohono O'odham lands.
The People of San Xavier are mostly of the Catholic faith. The Ceremony was led by the local Priest but there was definitely the presence of their traditional beliefs as well.
As the people gathered together, one of them held an image of the Blessed Mother.
White crosses, with the names of victims who were identified, while others simply said man, woman, youth, were spread upon the earth in front of the church. People gathered together in a circle around the crosses and prayers were said, music was played and remembrances shared.
Another beautiful statue was held during the ceremonies.
The influx of Mexicans crossing Tohono O'odham land has become an increasing problem. Many are totally unprepared for what awaits them in the harsh southwestern desert. Many are taken advantage of but still consider themselves the lucky ones when they successfully make it across the border.
When we lived there, there were many deaths in the desert. Coyotes as they are called, (people who charge a large fee to bring people across the Mexican border into the US,) more often than not, leave the people in the desert. There was a group of 10 people, men and women who were from El Salvador and had paid thousands of dollars to find safety in America. The women were wearing high heels. No one in the group was prepared for desert travel. They were lost and did not know they were so close to a main road and they wandered desperately trying to find a way out. They drank cologne and even their own urine to survive, but most died in the desert; their dream of freedom and a new life in the United States dying with them, just as those people represented by the white crosses lying on the desert floor.
There is a large mound, or hill, not far from the church. At the top stands a white cross. The cross can be seen from every direction and with the unobstructed view in the desert, it can be seen from far away. I remember how it always reminded me of the people of the desert and their survival on their ancestral land.
Jeanne Svhiyeyi Aga Chadwick
April 8, 2005
Read an earlier report of the deadly trek Mexicans make to come to the US for work. The Dangerous Trek through the Desert
April Reports
Photographs property of Evening Rain 2004 ©
Last updated on April 09, 2005