Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Spanish Mission Period
In the 18th century, when Russian and English trappers began trading valuable pelts from
Alta California, Spain concocted a plan for colonization. For the glory of God and the tax
coffers of Spain, missions would be built across California, and within 10 years these
would be going concerns run by local converts. This was approved by quixotic Spanish
colonial official José de Gálvez of Mexico, who was full of grand schemes - including
controlling Baja California with a trained army of apes.
Almost immediately after Spain's missionizing plan was approved in 1769, it began to
fail. When Franciscan friar Junípero Serra and Captain Gaspar de Portolá made the over-
land journey to establish Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1769, only half the sailors on
their supply ships survived. Portolá had heard of a fabled cove to the north, but failing to
recognize Monterey Bay in the fog, he gave up and turned back.
Portolá reported to Gálvez that if the Russians or English wanted California, they were
welcome to it. But Serra wouldn't give up, and secured support to set up presidios (milit-
ary posts) alongside missions. When soldiers weren't paid regularly, they looted and pil-
laged local communities. Clergy objected to this treatment of potential converts, but still
relied on soldiers to round up conscripts to build missions. In exchange for their forced
labor, Native Californians were allowed one meal a day and a place in God's kingdom -
which came much sooner than expected, due to diseases like smallpox and syphilis that the
Spanish brought.
It's no surprise that California's indigenous tribes often rebelled against the Spanish col-
onists. The missions did achieve modest success at farming and just barely managed to be-
come self-sufficient, however. But as a way of colonizing California and converting the in-
digenous people to Christianity, they were an abject failure. The Spanish population re-
mained small, foreign intruders were not greatly deterred, and ultimately, more Native
Californians died than were converted.
The distance between each of California's Spanish colonial missions equaled a day's jour-
ney by horseback. Learn more about the missions' historical significance and cultural in-
fluence at
www.missionscalifornia.com
.
