I wrote a book about some of the herbs of Father Kino’s missions, so this, his birthday week, seemed like a good time to tell you more about him – and how a man from a small town in northern Italy came to ride into our history books in the Southwest.

Father Kino’s Herbs

The last few copies of this out-of-print award winning Southwestern book are now for sale. Father Kino’s Herbs: Growing and Using Them Today   The review says:

“Award-winning garden writer Dr. Jacqueline A. Soule has pulled together a fascinating book on the life of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino and some of the plants that he brought to Southern Arizona and northwestern Sonora, and area called the Pimeria Alta.”

This link is to our book sales site. The profits from the sale go to the local Horticulture Therapy non-profit Tierra del Sol Institute.  We hope you will help support this great Southwest non-profit!

Born in Italy

Father Kino was born Eusebio Francesco Chini in Segno, in what is now northeastern Italy, on August 10, 1645. The name Kino is the German version of his last name, which coincidentally also made for ease of Spanish pronunciation.

Eusebio grew up in that little mountain town, and then studied in Innsbruck, Austria. While he was so far from home he became seriously ill. He made a vow that if his patron, Saint Francis Xavier would intercede for his health, he would enter the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Recover he did, and in 1665 he joined the Society of Jesus. He was ordained a priest in 1677.

Father Kino in the New World

Although Father Kino wanted to go to the Orient, in 1681 he was ordered to New Spain to establish missions in Baja California.

He and a group of other priests tried. They established the Misión San Bruno in 1683. However in 1685, after a prolonged drought in Baja California, Father Kino and the other Jesuit missionaries were forced to abandon the mission and return to Mexico City, where he stayed until 1687.

At the time Mexico City was the Viceroyal capital of all of New Spain. Father Kino did not sit quietly in this capitol, waiting reassignment. Instead, Kino basically began to make a pest of himself with the royal government. He had seen the way that the Native peoples were treated, and he was appalled. He felt deeply that all humans, even pagans, should be treated humanely.

To the Spanish government at the time, Native populations were seen as a source of labor (slaves), a source of food without pay (tribute), not to mention the fact that the Native lands could, and should, be better used by Spanish settlers and miners.

New Assignment and a Royal Cedula

Kino fought against these beliefs. His efforts lead to two results. He was sent out into the wild country, the back of beyond – to a place where there were the royal government hoped he would be killed by Natives that were said to be unfriendly. To send him off happy, he was given a royal cedula or decree.

This royal cedula affirmed a declared policy of no forced labor and exemption of the Pimería Alta natives from tribute if they participated in the missionary program. This royal decree was basically an emancipation proclamation for all Native converts.

Riding Into the Southwest

Father Kino entered the Pimería Alta, an area that includes much of Sonora and southern Arizona. In his own words “. . . on the thirteenth of March, 1687, we . . . came to Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Bamotze, or de Cosari, having the day before notified the natives. Their governor was absent, but, nethertheless, they received us with all
love . . .” (Bolton, 1919, p. 110).

The chronology of the ensuing years is written elsewhere by other authors. Perhaps the best synopsis of the historical impact of Father Kino’s work is presented in Spicer’s Cycles of Conquest (1962). In a nutshell, there was a great deal of misunderstanding between the various Spanish factions (soldiers, miners, and settlers) and the Native tribes, causing unrest and bloodshed. Father Kino often had to serve as mediator, working to bring understanding to the Spanish and peaceful solutions to often confrontational situations.

Seemingly Tireless

Although already beyond what was then considered middle age (he was in his forties), Father Kino was never idle. He worked diligently the rest of his life, and founded 24 missions, asistencias and visitas in the Pimería Alta.

Today, the Sonoran desert on both sides of the international border is dotted with the remains of these churches. Some exist only as subsurface foundations or low, crumbling adobe walls. Others, like the churches at Tumacacori, Arizona, and Cocospera, Sonora, are spectacular and more-or-less stabilized ruins. Still others are functioning churches to this day, being used for the purpose for which they were founded so many years ago, like San Xavier del Bac.

Avid Explorer

In addition to his religious activities, Eusebio Kino was an avid explorer, expert astronomer, mathematician and cartographer. He traveled across present day northern Mexico, Arizona and parts of California. Roads were subsequently built along the routes he surveyed, and previously inaccessible areas were thus connected. Kino’s many expeditions on horseback covered over 50,000 square miles, during which he mapped an area 200 miles long and 250 miles wide. With his own hand he drew the first accurate maps of Pimería Alta, the Gulf of California and Baja California; Passo por Tierra a la California (1707) and Nuevo Reyno de las Nueva Navara (1710). Both maps served as the only reliable maps of the area for close to 200 years.

The maps showed the missions and, most significantly, they showed that California, and so Baja California, was not an island but could be accessed by crossing the Colorado River. This fact Father Kino proved by leading an overland expedition there from Arizona.

Many Tribes

In his travels in the Pimería Alta, Father Kino interacted with 16 different tribes. Some of these had land that bordered on the Pimería Alta, but there are many cases where tribal representatives crossed into the Piman lands to meet this man whom so many had heard of. In other cases, Kino traveled into their lands to meet with them.

The tribes Father Kino met with are the Cocopa, Eudeve, Hia ced O’odham (called Yumans by Kino), Kamia, Kavelchadon, Kiliwa, Maricopa, Mountain Pima, Opata, Quechan, River Pima, Seri, Tohono O’odham, Western Apache, Yavapai, and the Yaqui (Yoeme).

First Cowboy

Father Kino was pivotal in the economic growth of the area, teaching the already agricultural indigenous Piman people how to grow European seed and grains, and to raise foreign herd animals. Kino’s initial mission herd of twenty cattle imported to Pimería Alta grew during his period to 70,000 head. Father Kino is considered by some to be Arizona’s Primo Vaquero or “First Cowboy.”

Kino’s Passing

Father Eusebio Francisco Kino remained among his missions until his death. He died from fever on 15 March 1711 in the city now known as Magdalena de Kino, in the State of Sonora, Mexico, where his skeletal remains can be viewed today.

Kino’s Legacy

Father Kino has been honored down through the years in both in Mexico and the United States, with various towns, streets, schools, hospitals, monuments, and geographic features named after him.

In 1965, the citizens of Arizona dignified Father Kino with a rare honor. A statue of Padre Kino was placed in the United States Statuary Hall which is located in the United States Capitol Building. Padre Kino is one of two statues representing the State of Arizona. The dedication ceremony included over 700 dignitaries from around the world (remember this was before widespread airplane travel).

An equestrian statue featuring Father Kino stands across from the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix. A time capsule is encapsulated in the base. A statue of Father Kino stands above Kino Parkway, a major thoroughfare in Tucson, Arizona. The towns of Bahía Kino and Magdalena de Kino in Sonora, Mexico are named in his honor.

Father Kino is believed to have introduced the Zinfandel grape to the Pimería Alta. In Italy this grape is a type known as primitivo meaning “early” because the fruit matures earlier than other grapes. “Padre Kino” is the name of Mexico’s best known table wine. Father Kino is believed to have introduced the ‘Mission’ fig cultivar from cuttings brought from Europe.

Above all, Father Kino is remembered and beloved for his ability to create relationships between indigenous peoples and the religious institutions he represented. His legacy of love and peace echo down through the centuries to the present, three centuries after his death.

You can learn more at the Kino Heritage Society. (.org)

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Disclaimer

The authors of this website have researched the edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.