Tumacacori National Historical Park is four miles south of Tubac and is the reason many travellers should make the detour. The main mission church, San Jose de Tumacacori, is a beautiful ruin: roofless, weathered, and far more atmospheric than a restored mission would be.
The park protects three Spanish colonial mission sites, though Tumacacori is the one normally open to independent visitors. The small museum and short trails help explain the O'odham, Spanish, Mexican, and American layers of the Santa Cruz Valley.