Who founded Magdalena de Kino?
Juan Bautista de Escalante
Magdalena de Kino entered the Magic Towns Program in recent years. It is a city founded at the beginning of the 18th century by Juan Bautista de Escalante as Santa MarÃa de Magdalena.
Sonora is distinguished by its gastronomy and by the Cultural heritage inherited from the missions, which were established throughout its extensive territory despite its hot climate and the long distances that exist between its towns.
One of the missionaries who, during colonial times, dedicated himself to evangelizing the indigenous people who inhabited this state was the Jesuit Eusebio Francisco Kino, to whom the Magdalena de Kino Town owes its name.
Magdalena de Kino is located in the north of the state of Sonora, two hours by car from Hermosillo, its capital, and one hour and 15 minutes from Nogales. It also tends to receive foreign visitors from Tucson, Arizona, as it is a two-and-a-half hour drive away.
Parish of Santa MarÃa de Magdalena
It was built on the site where Father Kino established the mission in honor of San Francisco Javier, who has since been a highly revered saint throughout the state. In one of the chapels of the enclosure this saint was venerated until 2013 when his special enclosure was built on one side of the temple. At the end of September and beginning of October around the parish the festival is celebrated in honor of San Francisco Javier.
Mausoleum of Padre Kino
In the 1970s the remains of the Jesuit missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino were found near the town square. In that place a mausoleum was created where there is also a mural that tells of his religious work for the state of Sonora.
The climate in Magdalena de Kino is semi-dry and very hot, so if you visit in spring do not forget to bring sunscreen, a cap or a hat, the summers are dry and the temperatures drop in winter, mainly in December and January, so it is very important that you pack warm clothes. The average temperature is 26º C.
The founder of this town was the military man Juan Bautista de Escalante in the seventeenth century, his arrival was accompanied by the Mission of Santa María Magdalena, which was destroyed by the ethnic groups that inhabited this place.
In 1687, the Jesuit missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino settled on the same site to re-establish a successful mission. Father Kino –as he is popularly known– lived in Santa María Magdalena until his last days, so his relics can be visited in this Magical Town which, in 1966, changed its name to Magdalena de Kino.
Attractions:
Chapel of San Francisco Javier.
Temple of Santa MarÃa Magdalena.
Hill of the Virgin.
Colonel Fenochio College.
The House of the Minister of War​ .