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List of Spanish missions in California

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The horse and mule trail known as El Camino Real as of 1821 and the locations of the 21 Franciscan missions in Alta California

Franciscan priests established 21 missions between 1769 and 1833 in Alta California, accompanied by military outposts. Their goal was to spread Christianity among the local Native Americans, as well as to affirm Spanish, and later Mexican, claims to the region.

Overview

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To facilitate overland travel, the mission settlements were situated approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) apart, about one day's journey on horseback, or three days on foot. The entire trail eventually became a 600-mile (966-kilometer) long "California Mission Trail." Rev. Lasuén successfully argued that filling in the empty spaces along El Camino Real with additional outposts would provide much-needed rest stops where travelers could take lodging in relative safety and comfort.[1]: 132 [2]: 152  Heavy freight movement was practical only via water. Tradition has it that the padres sprinkled mustard seeds along the trail to mark it with bright yellow flowers.[3]: 79 [4]: 260 

Today a growing number of people, calling themselves California Mission Walkers, hike the mission trail route, usually in segments between the missions.[5] Walking the trail is a way to connect with the history of the missions. For some it represents a spiritual pilgrimage, inspired by Jesuit priest Richard Roos' 1985 book, Christwalk.[6] The loosely organized group is attempting to formalize the route and establish markers, similar to the 330-mile (530 km) El Camino de Santiago, in Spain.

Missions

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There were 21 missions, 8 asistencias, and 5 estancias in what is now California.

List of missions in geographical order, north to south
Name Image Date Location Notes
Mission San Francisco Solano 1823 Sonoma
38°17′38″N 122°27′20″W / 38.29389°N 122.45556°W / 38.29389; -122.45556 (Mission San Francisco Solano)
Originally planned as an asistencia of Mission San Rafael Arcángel. Serves as a museum.
Mission San Rafael Arcángel 1817 San Rafael
37°58′27″N 122°31′40″W / 37.97417°N 122.52778°W / 37.97417; -122.52778 (Mission San Rafael Arcángel)
Nonextant. Originally planned as the third asistencia of Mission San Francisco de Asís. A reconstruction of the original mission was completed in 1949, which served as a parish church and museum.
Mission San Francisco de Asís 1776 San Francisco
37°45′51″N 122°25′37″W / 37.76417°N 122.42694°W / 37.76417; -122.42694 (Mission San Francisco de Asís)
Also known as Mission Dolores. Serves as a parish church.
Mission San José 1797 Fremont
37°31′58″N 121°55′10″W / 37.53278°N 121.91944°W / 37.53278; -121.91944 (Mission San José)
Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission Santa Clara de Asís 1777 Santa Clara
37°20′57″N 121°56′29″W / 37.34917°N 121.94139°W / 37.34917; -121.94139 (Mission Santa Clara de Asís)
Serves as a parish church within Santa Clara University.
Mission Santa Cruz 1791 Santa Cruz
36°58′41″N 122°1′45″W / 36.97806°N 122.02917°W / 36.97806; -122.02917 (Mission Santa Cruz)
Nonextant. A reconstruction of the original mission was completed in the 1930s, which serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission San Juan Bautista 1797 San Juan Bautista
36°50′42″N 121°32′9″W / 36.84500°N 121.53583°W / 36.84500; -121.53583 (Mission San Juan Bautista)
Serves as a parish church.
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo 1770 Carmel
36°32′33″N 121°55′11″W / 36.54250°N 121.91972°W / 36.54250; -121.91972 (Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo)
Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad 1791 Soledad
36°24′16″N 121°21′20″W / 36.40444°N 121.35556°W / 36.40444; -121.35556 (Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad)
In ruins. A reconstruction of the original mission was completed in 1955, which serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission San Antonio de Padua 1771 near Jolon
36°00′54″N 121°15′00″W / 36.01500°N 121.25000°W / 36.01500; -121.25000 (Mission San Antonio de Padua)
Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission San Miguel Arcángel 1797 San Miguel
35°44′41″N 120°41′53″W / 35.74472°N 120.69806°W / 35.74472; -120.69806 (Mission San Miguel Arcángel)
Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa 1772 San Luis Obispo
35°16′50″N 120°39′52″W / 35.28056°N 120.66444°W / 35.28056; -120.66444 (Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa)
Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission La Purísima Concepción 1787 Lompoc
34°40′13″N 120°25′14″W / 34.67028°N 120.42056°W / 34.67028; -120.42056 (Mission La Purísima Concepción)
Serves as a museum.
Mission Santa Inés 1804 Solvang
34°35′40″N 120°08′11″W / 34.59444°N 120.13639°W / 34.59444; -120.13639 (Mission Santa Inés)
Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission Santa Barbara 1786 Santa Barbara
34°26′18″N 119°42′50″W / 34.43833°N 119.71389°W / 34.43833; -119.71389 (Mission Santa Barbara)
Serves as a parish church and friary.
Mission San Buenaventura 1782 Ventura
34°16′52″N 119°17′53″W / 34.28111°N 119.29806°W / 34.28111; -119.29806 (Mission San Buenaventura)
Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission San Fernando Rey de España 1797 Los Angeles
34°16′23″N 118°27′40″W / 34.27306°N 118.46111°W / 34.27306; -118.46111 (Mission San Fernando Rey de España)
Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission San Gabriel 1771 San Gabriel
34°5′50″N 118°6′22″W / 34.09722°N 118.10611°W / 34.09722; -118.10611 (Mission San Gabriel)
The current mission church dates to 1805. Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission San Juan Capistrano 1776 San Juan Capistrano
33°30′10″N 117°39′46″W / 33.50278°N 117.66278°W / 33.50278; -117.66278 (Mission San Juan Capistrano)
The Serra Chapel, built in 1782, is the oldest extant building in California.[7] Serves as a parish church and museum.
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia 1798 Oceanside
33°13′57″N 117°19′12″W / 33.23250°N 117.32000°W / 33.23250; -117.32000 (Mission San Luis Rey de Francia)
Serves as a parish church, museum, and religious retreat center.
Mission San Diego de Alcalá 1769 San Diego
32°47′4″N 117°6′23″W / 32.78444°N 117.10639°W / 32.78444; -117.10639 (Mission San Diego de Alcalá)
Serves as a parish church and museum.

Two Franciscan missions, Mission Puerto de Purísima Concepción and Mission San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicuñer, were constructed within the present-day borders of California but were administered as part of the Spanish missions of Pimería Alta. As such, they are not considered a part of the 21 missions of Alta California.

Asistencias

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Asistencias were branch missions that allowed the priests to extend their reach into the native population at a modest cost.

List of Asistencias in geographical order, north to south
Name Image Date Location Notes
Santa Eulalia Asistencia 1824 Cordelia
38°14′16″N 122°07′28″W / 38.23778°N 122.12444°W / 38.23778; -122.12444 (Santa Eulalia Asistencia)
The ruins are preserved behind a business park at the intersection of Sandstone Way and Westamerica Drive.[8][9]
San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia 1786 Pacifica
37°35′14″N 122°29′36″W / 37.58722°N 122.49333°W / 37.58722; -122.49333 (San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia)
Nonextant. First asistencia of Mission San Francisco de Asís.
Mission Dolores Asistencia 1793-94 San Mateo
37°33′55″N 122°19′40″W / 37.56528°N 122.32778°W / 37.56528; -122.32778 (Mission Dolores Asistencia)
Nonextant. Second asistencia of Mission San Francisco de Asís. A granary was built south of San Mateo Creek in 1793-94 before being destroyed during an 1808 earthquake. A new adobe granary was built north of the creek before being demolished in 1868.[10]
Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia 1787 Santa Margarita
35°24′2″N 120°36′44″W / 35.40056°N 120.61222°W / 35.40056; -120.61222 (Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia)
Asistencia of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. The ruins are preserved within a barn on Santa Margarita Ranch (private).
Santa Paula Asistencia c.1800 Santa Paula
34°21′21″N 119°03′03″W / 34.35583°N 119.05083°W / 34.35583; -119.05083 (Santa Paula Asistencia)
Nonextant. Asistencia of Mission San Buenaventura. Little else is known.[11][12]
Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles Asistencia 1784 Los Angeles
34°03′26″N 118°14′23″W / 34.0572°N 118.2396°W / 34.0572; -118.2396 (Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles Asistencia)
Nonextant. Asistencia of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The site is occupied by La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles.
Santa Ysabel Asistencia 1818 Santa Ysabel
33°7′49″N 116°40′41″W / 33.13028°N 116.67806°W / 33.13028; -116.67806 (Santa Ysabel Asistencia)
Nonextant. Asistencia of Mission San Diego de Alcalá. A new chapel was constructed in 1924. Serves as a parish church and museum.
San Antonio de Pala Asistencia 1816 Pala Indian Reservation
33°21′40″N 117°04′45″W / 33.36111°N 117.07917°W / 33.36111; -117.07917 (San Antonio de Pala Asistencia)
Asistencia of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia. The chapel serves as a parish church and museum.

Estancias

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An estancia or estância is a Spanish or Portuguese term describing private landholdings used for farming or raising livestock. They assisted in the development of their parent missions.

List of Estancias in geographical order, north to south
Name Image Date Location Notes
San Marcos Estancia c.1800 near Santa Ynez
34°32′50″N 119°52′40″W / 34.54722°N 119.87778°W / 34.54722; -119.87778 (San Marcos Estancia)
Nonextant. Estancia of Mission Santa Barbara. Little else is known.[13][14]
San Francisco Xavier Estancia 1804 Castaic Junction
34°25′58″N 118°36′19″W / 34.43278°N 118.60528°W / 34.43278; -118.60528 (San Francisco Xavier Estancia)
Nonextant. Estancia of Mission San Fernando Rey de España.
San Bernardino de Sena Estancia 1819 Redlands
34°02′40″N 117°13′15″W / 34.04444°N 117.22083°W / 34.04444; -117.22083 (San Bernardino de Sena Estancia)
Estancia of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The reconstructed buildings serve as a museum.
Santa Ana Estancia 1817 Costa Mesa
33°40′23″N 117°56′13″W / 33.67306°N 117.93694°W / 33.67306; -117.93694 (Santa Ana Estancia)
Also known as the Costa Mesa Estancia. Estancia of Mission San Juan Capistrano. The Diego Sepúlveda Adobe serves as a museum.
Las Flores Estancia 1823 Camp Pendleton
33°17′59″N 117°27′39″W / 33.29972°N 117.46083°W / 33.29972; -117.46083 (Las Flores Estancia)
Estancia of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia. The building is part of a Boy Scout camp.

Presidios

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Presidios in chronological order:

See also

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On Spanish Missions:

On California history:

On general missionary history:

On colonial Spanish American history:

References

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  1. ^ Yenne, Bill (2004). The Missions of California. Advantage Publishers Group, San Diego, California. ISBN 1-59223-319-8.
  2. ^ Bennett, John E (January 1897a). "Should the California Missions Be Preserved? – Part I". Overland Monthly. XXIX (169): 9–24.
  3. ^ Markham, Edwin (1914). California the Wonderful: Her Romantic History, Her Picturesque People, Her Wild Shores. Hearst's International Library Company, Inc., New York.
  4. ^ Riesenberg, Felix (1962). The Golden Road: The Story of California's Spanish Mission Trail. McGraw-Hill, New York. ISBN 0-07-052740-7.
  5. ^ "El Camino Real's California Mission Walkers". California Mission Guide. 2014.
  6. ^ Roos, Fr. Richard (1985). "Christwalk". Paulist Press.
  7. ^ "San Juan Capistrano – California Missions Foundation". californiamissionsfoundation.org. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  8. ^ "U. S. Mission Trail, the Mission Trail Today - Spanish Missions in California - Asistencia Santa Eulalia". www.usmissiontrail.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  9. ^ "California's Lost Mission". Daphne Wynne Nixon Paintings. 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  10. ^ "San Mateo asistencia (hospice) and granary". San Mateo Daily journal. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
  11. ^ "U. S. Mission Trail, the Mission Trail Today - Spanish Missions in California - Asistencia Santa Paula". www.usmissiontrail.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  12. ^ "Ventura". CA State Parks. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  13. ^ "History". The Rancho San Marcos. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  14. ^ "U. S. Mission Trail, the Mission Trail Today - Spanish Missions in California - Asistencia Santa Paula". usmissiontrail.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
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