Father Eusebio Francisco Kino.
Eusebio Francisco Kino, a Jesuit priest, missionary, explorer, map-maker, mathematician, and astronomer, founded many missions and explored areas in southwestern North America, including northern Sonora, Mexico, southern California, and southern Arizona.
Kino was born in Tirol, Italy, educated at the Jesuit college in Trent, and then attended the Jesuit college in Hall near Innsbruck, Austria. He joined the Company of Jesus on November 20, 1665, after an illness that nearly claimed his life. He also attended the Universities of Landsberg, Ingolstadt, Innsbruck, Munich, and Oehingen. In 1665, Kino became a Jesuit priest. In 1681, he sailed from Spain as a missionary to Mexico and was appointed missionary and royal cosmographer for the California Expedition on October 28, 1682. He arrived in Baja, California, on April 4, 1683. On the second expedition to California on October 6, 1683, he built a mission and established a fort at San Bruno near Loreto. On August 15, 1684, he took his final vows as a member of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. He was appointed missionary to the Seri and Guaymas Indians on November 20, 1685.
Tumacacori Mission south of Tucson, Arizona, by Carol Highsmith.
In March 1687, he established his first Jesuit mission in Sonora, Mexico. In 1691, he embarked on a series of more than 40 expeditions to explore southern Arizona, traveling along the Rio Grande, Colorado, and Gila Rivers. Over the course of 24 years, he established 24 missions and laid the foundation for modern agriculture and livestock raising. He promoted apprenticeships of artisans and similar trades. He traveled and explored extensively: Tumacácori -1691; Altar River – 1692; Gila River to Casa Grande – 1695; Baja California – 1697; Santa María and San Pedro Rivers – 1698; the Gulf of California from the north, Colorado River – 1700; repeat trip and crosses the Colorado River on a raft – 1701; repeat trip and proof that California is not an island – 1702; Guaymas – 1704; Tiburon Island – 1706; Pinacate and Santa Clara – 1706.
He died shortly after midnight on March 15, 1711, in Magdalena, Mexico. He wrote many books about his explorations.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated January 2025.
Also See:
Discovery and Exploration of America
See Sources.