File:Any evidence of mission-era graves was destroyed long ago by weather, treasure hunters, and cattle. Toward the end of the (8636d963-8dc0-43ae-b382-30f4fe2dab53).JPG

360 panoramic photo, round mortuary chapel exterior, walled cemetery, mesquite trees

Any evidence of mission-era graves was destroyed long ago by weather, treasure hunters, and cattle. Toward the end of the nineteenth century the cemetery was used as a corral during cattle drives and roundups. Families who moved into the area around 1900 knew it as campo santo (holy ground) and used it once again to bury their dead. Juanita Alegria's grave is the last burial (1916) and the only one which has been identified. However, the mission-era dead are also beneath our feet. Five hundred ninety-three burials were recorded at Tumacácori between 1755 and 1825. The location of the "old cemetery" associated with the Jesuit church is unknown. The fourteen niches in the wall were Stations of the Cross. The higher portion of the southeast wall is the west wall of the storehouse next door. We are reminded that while death was an ever present part of life, life required the tasks of planting, harvesting, and storing for future use.

• Keywords: 360 panoramic; tumacácori; tumacacori; mortuary chapel; funeral; disease; cemetery; campo santo