San Xavier del Bac

Arizona · United States · Church

San Xavier del Bac — Arizona · United States · Church

There is a snake carved on one side of the mission doors and a mouse on the other. If the snake catches the mouse, the end of time is near.

San Xavier del Bac stands south of Tucson on the Tohono O'odham Nation, and it is the finest Spanish colonial building left in the United States. It was begun in 1783 and it has never closed.

Carved into the facade on either side of the main doors are a cat and a mouse. Local telling makes it a snake. Either way, the meaning is the same: if the one catches the other, the end of time is near.

People in the area report hearing the story told to them, outside the mission at night, by a shadowy figure of a man.

That is an unusual form for an account to take. The figure is not doing anything except passing the story on, which puts it in the same category as the carving itself.

The mission is an active parish church, a place of worship for the community whose land it stands on, and visitors are asked to behave accordingly.

FAQ

Where is San Xavier del Bac located?

San Xavier del Bac is in Arizona, United States.

More haunted places in Arizona

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Keyany / CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons