The California Missions

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The California Missions

• The Spanish Missions of California

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Who created the missions and why?

• It was King Charles III of Spain's idea,
  actually. In the year 1768, the monarch of Spain
  found himself in a difficult position. Spain had
  claimed a vast area of land along the western
  side of North America more than 200 years before.
  The land was rich, fertile and near the sea it
  was the perfect place to start cities and safe
  harbors for Spanish ships. So far, however, there
  had been no Spanish settlements started there.
  The king had heard that the Russians were
  interested in settling the land. If Spaniards
  didn't move in soon, the land would quickly fall
  to the Russians and be lost to Spain forever. At
  this time, land was money, and the Spanish
  monarch could not afford to lose this rich
  land...

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Why missions and not hotels?

• The king and queen of Spain decided to create a
  series of farms along the coast. Each would be a
  day's ride apart. That way, it would be easy to
  trade and sell not only goods, but information.
  They would be built by the sea so that they could
  easily supply ships that came to port there.

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Why missions and not hotels?

• The only problem with their plans was the lack
  of labor. With no Spanish people in the area,
  there would be no one to work on the farms. They
  soon solved that problem, however, by turning the
  farms into missions. The missions would be led by
  Fathers who would pursue the Catholic calling of
  converting non-believers into Christians. Their
  converts, the Native Americans, would also work
  on the missions. This decision solved both
  problems for the religious Spaniards, but was
  just the beginning of the problems for the Native
  Americans.

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Who actually built the missions?

• The missions were designed by the padres, and
  actually built by the Native Americans they hoped
  to convert.

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Who actually built the missions?

• The actual labor of the missions fell to the
  Native Americans. Because they practiced a
  polytheistic religion, did not speak Spanish, had
  dark skin and a very different way of life, the
  natives were viewed as heathens their way of
  life was considered inferior by the Spaniards.
  The Spanish made it clear that working on the
  missions was not optional.

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Where were the missions located?

• The locations of the missions were all very
  planned and very deliberate. Each mission was
  placed one day's ride or hard walk from its
  nearest neighbors. This made it easier for the
  Spaniards to trade and sell their food and crafts
  as well as to share information. They were also
  very careful to place all the missions near the
  sea so that ships would have plenty of
  opportunities to get fresh supplies before
  heading out to sea.

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So how many are there anyway?

• There were 21 Spanish Missions in California,
  placed such that they were a day's ride (via
  horseback) apart and so that they were in
  proximity to drinkable water, arable land, and
  the sea.

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Who lived in the missions?

• Padres, Native Americans, and Soldiers

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Mission San Diego de Alcala
San Diego, California
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Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
Carmel, California
2
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Mission San Antonio de Padua
Five miles northwest of Jolon Monterey County,
California
3
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Mission San Gabriel Arcangel
San Gabriel, California
4
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Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
San Luis Obispo, California
5
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Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores)
San Francisco, California
6
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Mission San Juan Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano, California
7
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Mission Santa Clara de Asis
Santa Clara, California
8
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Mission San Buenaventura
Ventura, California
9
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Mission Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
10
21
Mission La Purisima Concepcion
Lompoc, California
11
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Mission Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
12
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Mission Soledad
Soledad, California
13
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Mission San Jose
Fremont, California
14
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Mission San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista, California
15
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Mission San Miguel
San Miguel, California
16
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Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana
Mission Hills, California
17
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San Luis Rey
Oceanside, California
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Mission Santa Inez
Solvang, California
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Mission San Rafael Arcangel
San Rafael, California
20
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Mission Sonoma - San Francisco Solano
Sonoma, California
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