Mission Trail Today - The Missions of the US Southwest

This site is owned, designed, and operated by Kenneth A. Larson who has over a quarter century of experience in design and construction of scenery for the Entertainment Industry and Theme Parks using Computer Aided and Traditional approaches to Design. Ken also has experience in other areas of Design.
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Mission Trail Today - The Missions of the US Southwest

All photographs taken by Kenneth A. Larson. All rights reserved. © 2003, 2004.
Select photographs of my many visits to The California Missions built by Spain and Mexico between 1769 and 1823.

This web site is dedicated to the missions of the United State Southwest and related constructions built by Spain and Mexico* in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The missions are an important part of the history of the United State Southwest and it would be impossible to understand the region's story without understanding the missions story. Many cities of the US Southwest began with the founding of a mission or their outlying ranchos.

* Most of the missions were built by Spain, however, San Francisco Solano was built by Mexico after the Mexican Revolution.

A note: There are no historical photographs on this web site. All of these photographs are taken by myself, and while I may feel two hundred years old, I simply didn't have a camera when the missions were built or when most were restored. These photographs are of the missions as they exist today or within the last quarter century. I include historical text as a summary to give you a quick overview and place the photographs in historical context. There are several good internet sites and books that can provide historic photographs and art work and more in depth histories. I do believe that I have included here more photographs of the way the missions look today than most of the other sites and books. This site can be used as a guide for you and your family to visit the missions which is why I named it Mission Trail Today. So study these pages and web sites by others and pack up your car and your family and visit the missions. All of the missions are open to the public, most daily 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Many are still in use as parish churches and hold mass regularly.

California Missions

Personal Observations

It has been my life long dream to visit all of the California missions. Shortly after I began dating my wife, I started taking her to see the missions, including those that I had seen before. We have now seen 20 missions, although we hope to revisit a few for various reasons. This leaves only the northern most mission, San Francisco Solano which we hope to visit soon. There are also two remainig Extension Missions in San Diego County which we saw in late January of 2004. This makes a total of 23 in California. We have also begun visiting the four Presidios in California which were also built by the Spanish and are a part of the mission story.

Mission La Purisima Concepcion, Sepia/Color

My collection of Mission Art

We hope to revisit some California missions this year, and I will return to the missions as long as I am able. We also hope to find more Asistencias and Estancias and other mission related constructions. We hope to find more on the four Presideos in California. Someday, we hope to visit the Missions in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

I am behind with scanning my slides but hope to get caught up soon, so stay tuned. I have not yet had time to scan the slides from almost a dozen missions, so check back in a few weeks. More text and photographs will be added in time.

#21
#20
#6
#14
#8
#12
#15
#2
#13
#3
#16
#5
#11
#19
#10
#9
#17
#4
#7
#18a
#18
#1a
#1

In order of founding.
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #18a #20 #1a #21

Introduction

About 30,000 years ago, give or take a few millennia, people from northeast Asia traveled across the Bearing Land Bridge into what we now call North America. Within a relatively short time, they had populated all of North and South America and the major off shore islands. They organized themselves into nations and tribes and more or less got along and lived in harmony with the Earth.

While not well documented, it seems likely that Europeans had visited the eastern shore of North America prior to the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. It was Columbus' discoveries that brought the Americas to the attention of Europe and it was not long before all the major nations of Europe were setting up colonies in the Americas. Spain claimed the most territory including most of the west coast of both continents and parts of the Caribbean. This included what is now the United States Southwest. Spain established missions and settlements throughout its holdings for two primary reasons, first, to bring Christianity to the indigenous people, and second, to help strengthen Spain's claim to the territories also coveted by France, Britain, Russia, and the United States. The famous Alamo in San Antonio, Texas is one of several missions built in Texas. Missions and churches were also established in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Baja California. A chain of missions eventually extended from to southern tip of South America north into Northern California.

Because Russian influence and settlements were moving south along the west coat of North America, Spain felt it needed to act to stop the Russian encroachment into the area we now call California. Spain already had established missions along much of the west coast of the Americas so in 1769 it extended the chain north, establishing the first Mission and town in what has become California.

Spain built 20 missions in Alta California along with a number of Asistencias and Estancias (Extension or sub-missions Missions and outlying ranches). Four Presidios were built and three Pueblos were established. The chain of missions in California was joined by El Camino Real ("The Kings' Highway"), which is the approximate route of modern day Highway 101 along the California Coast. Following the Mexican Revolution in 1821, the new Mexican government decided to build one last mission in 1823 to head off encroachment by Russia from the north. Within a few short years, this new mission and all the others were stripped of their property when Mexico secularized the missions in 1834. This was the end of the mission period.

The missions did not end in 1834. The buildings were used by the new owners as ranch buildings but eventually, most fell into disrepair. President Lincoln, despite pressing issues in the east, returned many of the missions to the Catholic Church, but deterioration continued. In the twentieth century, interest developed among the public to preserve and restore these historically significant buildings. Some are now complete reconstructions, some on new sites. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, WPA projects restored some of the missions such as La Purisima.

Today, all of the missions have been restored to various degrees. Most are in the hands of the Catholic church, some are in California State Historical Parks. Many still have active parishes and one, the Extension Mission of San Antonia de Pala, still serves an Indian population as the Padres had intended. All are open to the public and should be visited by anyone interested in California history.

Early History of Alta California

Charles V issued the code of "New Laws" which later became the foundation of the California mission system. It stated that the Indians should be permitted to live in communities of their own; they should be permitted to choose their own leaders and councilors; no Indian to be held as a slave; no Indian to live outside his own village; no Spaniard to stay in an Indian village for more than three days, and then only if he were a merchant or ill; and the Indians to be instructed in the Catholic faith.

Religious communities were established in Mexico (which then included California) and Central America. The missionaries were self-supporting and helped secure the frontiers from intrusions.

By 1700, the Jesuits had established a chain of missions along the coast of Baja (Lower) California to about the present US-Mixico border. In time, the Jesuits were replaced in Mexico by the Franciscans. It was the Franciscans who were to extend the mission system into Alto (Upper) California under the control of and in cooperation with Spanish authorities. It was not until 1769 that the first Mission was founded in San Diego. The establishment of the missions in Alta California was not authorized until the threat of Russian encroachment into the area was realized. Spain sent padres, a handful of soldiers and a few supplies into Alto California to establish a presence. The Franciscans not only brought Christianity to the native population, but to teach them new skills so they could become productive citizens for Spain.

Miguel Joseph Serra was born November 24, 1713 at Petra, Majorca, in Spain's Balearic Isles. On taking his religious vows in 1730, Serra took the name Jun�pero, after a beloved disciple of St. Francis of Assisi. Junípero Serra and Governor Portola developed the plan to extend the chain of missions northward into Alto California and secure the Spanish domain as far north as modern day Sonoma.

Three ships and two land expeditions set out for modern day San Diego in 1769. Padre Junípero Serra and the governor, riding on mules, were in the second land party. After enduring the hardship of crossing the desert of what is now Baja California, both land parties reached San Diego Bay where two of the ships awaited them. The crews and soldiers were badly decimated by scurvy. The third ship was lost.

The mission system thrived for 65 years. Under Spanish rule, 20 missions were built in addition to a number of "asistencia" (Extension) Missions. One mission, San Francisco Solano, was established after Mexican independence. After Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, the law of secularization was passed. The simple idea behind the law was that each mission was given ten years to fulfill its function of instructing the Indians. After this time, the missions were to be replaced by another colonial institution, the pueblo. This last step was long overdue in Alta California. Secularization began in 1833. The law stated that the land was to be handed over to the Indians.

When California became part of the United States in 1850, the Catholic Bishop of California petitioned the U.S. government for the return of the missions. None of the missions returned to their former glory.

This Early California History section derived in part from The California Mission Site. Ed. The Civic Group. 24 Sept. 1998.

Neophite is a term for new converts to Christianity.

Missions in Need

The missions are about 200 years old and have suffered damage from many earthquakes as well as vandalism and weather. All, or most, of the missions are in desperate need of repair. Funds are limited. Legislation sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer and Representative Sam Farr seeks to provide much needed $10 million matching funds. The organization, American United for Separation of Church and State is threatening to sue if these funds are used to restore these important historic buildings. Regardless of the current use of some of these buildings by the church, these buildings are an important part of California history and must be preserved and repaired. It would be a loss to all of society if these buildings are allowed to deteriorate more.

Mission Trail Today - The Missions of the US Southwest

New Web Site under developement

Mission Trail Today is developing a new sister web site, U. S. Mission Trail, featuring all the remaining missions in the United States. Follow the links to the only restored mission in Florida and the first mission in the United States.

Mission Trail Today - The Missions of the US Southwest

Personal Observations

Early History of Alta California

Missions in Need

Father Junipero Serra

21 Coastal Missions

Sources:

This page last updated 1-28-08