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THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS
A mission was a place where the Spanish priests could teach the natives about Spanish culture and religion. The Spanish built 21 missions in the area we call California. Each mission had a place for worship, dormitories for sleeping and shops where the Mission Indians worked.
Junípero Serra, a Franciscan priest or “Padre,” founded Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1769. He started eight more missions in California for a total of nine. Over the next fifty years, the padres created twelve more missions until they had twenty-one. Mission San Francisco Solano was the last in 1823.
Many of California’s cities are named after the missions, including San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose and Santa Barbara. Today you can still visit many of the missions. Some are state parks and others are working as churches.
