Father Kino established a mission here about 1694, and several small churches were built through the 1700s. This church, of stone, burned brick, and plaster, was built 1803-1809. Holes in the façade are said to date to 1857, when a group of American filibusteros led by Henry A. Crabb attacked the town and shot up the church where many people had taken refuge. The Río Concepción frequently flooded the area, and in early 1900s, raging river water tore away the back of the church and nearly destroyed the structure. In the 1960s, the Mexican government restored the church and declared it a national monument.

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