On August 10, 1645, in Segno, Italy, a small town in the Tyrolese Alps, long before Arizona joined the United States, Eusebio Kino was born. He later journeyed to what is now southern Arizona to work with the Pimas, and is the subject of one of the statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection representing Arizona.
Father Kino set out for Mexico in 1678. Four years later, as the head of a Jesuit mission, he led the Atondo expedition to lower California, which was then a Province of New Spain.
Father Kino was an astronomer, mathematician and cartographer. He drew the first accurate maps of Pimeria Alta, the Gulf of California and Baja California.
In twenty-four years, Father Kino established 24 missions and visitas and set up the foundation for modern agriculture and livestock raising. He promoted apprenticeships of artisans and similar trades. He travelled and explored extensively.
Father Kino’s efforts led to roads being built that connected previously inaccessible areas. His many expeditions on horseback covered over 50,000 square miles, much of which he mapped.
In his travels in the Pimería Alta, Father Kino interacted with 16 different tribes. Father Kino opposed the compulsory hard labor in the silver mines that the Spaniards forced on the native people. This met with controversy among his co-missionaries, many who would not express opposition to laws imposed by Spain.
Father Kino wrote extensively and left behind tons of material that documented his work. He taught cattle breeding, agricultural methods and iron work and promoted the economic development of the Pima people.
Father Kino remained among his missions until his death from fever on March 15, 1711, at the age of 65.
Diana Erbio is a freelance writer and author of “Coming to America: A Girl Struggles to Find her Way in a New World”. Read more in her series Statues: The People They Salute visit The Table of Contents and the Facebook Page. (I’ll be adding to the Substack Table of Contents as I transfer the Blog Posts. Please subscribe to this Substack 😊🇺🇸🤓)
Great story and nice timing, with the new Zorro debuting.
Awesome story Diana! A great man!