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
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
There were 21 missions, 8 asistencias, and 5 estancias in what is now California.
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
Asistencias were branch missions that allowed the priests to extend their reach into the native population at a modest cost.
Estancias
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.
| 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Estancia of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia. The building is part of a Boy Scout camp. |
Presidios
Presidios in chronological order:
- El Presidio Real de San Diego ( Presidio of San Diego), founded July 16, 1769
- El Presidio Real de San Carlos de Monterey ( Presidio of Monterey, California), founded June 3, 1770
- El Presidio Real de San Francisco ( Presidio of San Francisco), founded December 17, 1776
- El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara ( Presidio of Santa Barbara), founded April 12, 1782
- El Presidio de Sonoma ( Sonoma Barracks), founded 1810
See also
On Spanish Missions:
- Spanish missions in Arizona
- Spanish missions in Baja California
- Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert (including Sonora and southern Arizona)
On California history:
- Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
- History of California through 1899
- History of the west coast of North America
- Mission Vieja
On general missionary history:
- Catholic Church and the Age of Discovery
- History of Christian Missions
- List of the oldest churches in Mexico
- Missionary
On colonial Spanish American history:
- Spanish colonization of the Americas
- California mission clash of cultures
- Indian Reductions
- California Genocide
- Native Americans in the United States
References
- ^ Yenne, Bill (2004). The Missions of California. Advantage Publishers Group, San Diego, California. ISBN 1-59223-319-8.
- ^ Bennett, John E (January 1897a). "Should the California Missions Be Preserved? – Part I". Overland Monthly. XXIX (169): 9–24.
- ^ Markham, Edwin (1914). California the Wonderful: Her Romantic History, Her Picturesque People, Her Wild Shores. Hearst's International Library Company, Inc., New York.
- ^ Riesenberg, Felix (1962). The Golden Road: The Story of California's Spanish Mission Trail. McGraw-Hill, New York. ISBN 0-07-052740-7.
- ^ "El Camino Real's California Mission Walkers". California Mission Guide. 2014.
- ^ Roos, Fr. Richard (1985). "Christwalk". Paulist Press.
- ^ "San Juan Capistrano – California Missions Foundation". californiamissionsfoundation.org. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
- ^ "U. S. Mission Trail, the Mission Trail Today - Spanish Missions in California - Asistencia Santa Eulalia". www.usmissiontrail.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "California's Lost Mission". Daphne Wynne Nixon Paintings. 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "San Mateo asistencia (hospice) and granary". San Mateo Daily journal. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
- ^ "U. S. Mission Trail, the Mission Trail Today - Spanish Missions in California - Asistencia Santa Paula". www.usmissiontrail.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "Ventura". CA State Parks. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "History". The Rancho San Marcos. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "U. S. Mission Trail, the Mission Trail Today - Spanish Missions in California - Asistencia Santa Paula". usmissiontrail.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
External links
- California Missions Foundation
- California Mission Studies Association
- California's Spanish Missions
- Library of Congress: American Memory Project: Early California History, The Missions
- Tricia Anne Weber: The Spanish Missions of California
- California Historical Society
- National Register of Historic Places: Early History of the California Coast: List of Sites
- California Mission Sketches by Henry Miller, 1856 and Finding Aid to the Documents relating to Missions of the Californias : typescript, 1768-1802 at The Bancroft Library
