Naming the Santa Catalina Mountains

By Robert Zucker

Father Eusebio Kino is credited to have named the Santa Catalina Mountains during his first journey through Pimeria Alta in 1697. [1]

Early Spanish settlers also called the mountains “La Iglesia,” the Spanish word for church since the looming mountains looked like a cathedral. [2] One of the visible peaks from Tucson is Cathedral Peak that resembles church towers.[9] The Arizona Weekly Citizen, Tucson, A.T., September 25, 1881.

Read about naming the Santa Catalina Mountains.