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| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 |
The Pima Indians were usually peaceful people. But long after Father Kino died, they rebelled against the Spanish rule. The Spanish had forced Indians to work in the silver mines and as servants in homes. They often treated them cruelly. A Pima leader was eager to drive out the Spanish and rule Pimeria Alta himself.
The rebellion started at a village south of the present Mexican border. Within a few days, Pima men killed more than 100 miners, cowboys, farmers and priests. Missions were destroyed, including Kino's San Xavier del Bac. Later, the Pima leader of the rebellion was captured by soldiers near Tucson.
Tubac Presidio
The Spanish wanted to stop more Pima rebellion. They built a presidio, or fort, called Tubac. The main job of the soldiers at Tubac, was to protect the Spanish soldiers and settlers from the Apache. Apache were not river farming people like the Pimas. They were fierce nomadic bands who lived in the desert mountains and canyons. Apaches often made hit-and-run raids to drive off livestock.
Fifty Spanish soldiers guarded Tubac. A settlement soon grew up around the fort. The first white woman to come to Arizona came to live with her husband in Tuba.
Learn more about Tubac Presidio
Fray Garces
After a time, the King of Spain made all the Jesuit priests in the New World leave. However, he let the Franciscans stay in the New World. The most famous Franciscan priest was Fray Garces. Garces liked the Indian people and they liked him. Garces often visited the Pima villages near the Gila River. He learned the Pima language. He took care of the sick during an outbreak of measles, and baptized many of the Indians. Although he was only thirty years old, the Indians loving called him "Old Man."
Anza and Garces
Far away from the thirteen colonies, the Spanish still ruled the Southwest. Juan Bautista de Anza was in charge of the Soldiers of Tubac. Anza and Garces planned two trips to California. Anza wanted to bring settlers to California, but first needed to find a good way to get there by land. His group set out to find a route by land. They stopped at the Yuma Crossing on the Colorado River, where the Indians helped them cross the river.
The Yuma Rebellion
At first the Yuma wanted to be friends with the Spanish. The Spanish set up two settlements at the Yuma Crossing on the Colorado River. Each colony had a mission with two priests. Garces was on of the priests. There were also Spanish soldiers and settlers. The Spanish wanted to control the Crossing because it was the only good way to cross the Colorado River into California.
The Spanish soldiers and settlers were unkind to the Yuma Indians. They took their farmland, made fun of them, crowded them out of the missions and took their cattle and food. The Yuma finally rebelled. During the rebellion about fifty Spanish men were killed. All four of the priests were killed including Garces. After the rebellion the Spanish quit trying to control the Yuma Crossing.
Tucson Presidio
After a while the Spanish moved soldiers from Tubac presidio to Tucson. The Tucson presidio was well located to defend the San Xavier mission. This was the beginning of Tucson.
Golden Age of Spanish Rule
Peace finally came. The Spanish decided to stop trying to fight the Apache and changed to a piece policy. The Spanish began offering the Apache gifts and food to stop the fighting.
Tucson began to grow. More than 1,000 soldiers, settlers, and Native Americans lived there. Most of the people farmed or raised livestock. Wheat, corn, and beans were the main crops. The Pima grew cotton to weave onto cloth.
The Spanish opened many more mines. Ranchers bought herds of cattle to Southern Arizona. The Spanish built more churches. At San Xavier the Franciscans built a beautiful church. It replaced the mission that Father Kino had built that was destroyed in the Pima Rebellion. At Tucumcari, they built a new mission on the same place that Father Kino had built the first mission in Arizona.
Now that you have learned more about the Spanish Explorers and Missionaries you can complete the activities for this section. Click on the Journal icon at the top of the page and complete the activities for Chapter 5. When you are done you can continue to explore Arizona.
