California mission

The California missions are a series of settlements established by Spanish Catholic monks, to Christianize the local Native Americans, but with the added benefit of giving Spain a toehold in the frontier land.

The 21 missions were established along California's El Camino Real (Royal Highway), much of which is now U. S. Highway 101. The mission planting was begun under the leadership of Father Junípero Serra in 1769, and concluded in 1823, although Serra had died in 1784. Father Fermín Francisco Lasuén took up Serra's work and established nine more from 1786 through 1798. Others established the last three.

The missions

• Mission San Diego de Alcalá
• Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
• Mission San Antonio de Padua
• Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
• Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
• Mission San Francisco de Asís, in San Francisco
• Mission San Juan Capistrano
• Mission Santa Clara de Asís
• Mission San Buenaventura
• Mission Santa Bárbara
• Mission La Purísima Concepción
• Mission Santa Cruz
• Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
• Mission San José
• Mission San Juan Bautista
• Mission San Miguel Arcángel
• Mission San Fernando Rey de España
• Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
• Mission Santa Inés
• Mission San Rafael Arcángel
• Mission San Francisco Solano

See also: Missionary, History of Christian Missions