The Spanish Missions on the California Peninsula: #19, Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Viñadaco (1774-1829)

By David Kier http://www.vivabaja.com Co-author of ‘The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, 1697-1834’  El Rosario was the first California mission founded by the Dominican Order, just one year after assuming responsibility over a dozen Jesuit founded missions, and one founded by the Franciscans. The site for El Rosario was known to the Cochimí Indians…

The Spanish Missions on the California Peninsula: #18, San Fernando de Velicatá (1769-1825)

By David Kier http://www.vivabaja.com Co-author of ‘The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, 1697-1834’  San Fernando was the first California mission founded by the Franciscan Order, and also the only Franciscan-founded mission on the California peninsula. Originally, California was believed by many to be an island. Once it was established California was a peninsula, Spain…

The Spanish Missions on the California Peninsula: #17, Nuestra Señora de Columna (Calamajué) /Santa María de los Ángeles (1766-1774)

By David Kier http://www.vivabaja.com Co-author of ‘The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, 1697-1834’  The 17th and final Jesuit California mission was founded by Padre Victoriano Arnés and Padre Juan José Diez, at a site called Calagnujuet. The Cochimí name was soon modified to Calamajué (Cala-ma-WAY). In Johann Jakob Baegert’s 1772 book, ‘Observations in Lower…

The Spanish Missions on the California Peninsula: #16, San Francisco de Borja Adac (1762-1818)

By David Kier http://www.vivabaja.com Co-author of ‘The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, 1697-1834’    The Jesuits had decided to expand their missions northward after Fernando Consag’s sea voyage in 1746 when he proved (as others before) that California was not an island. Yet nearly 20 years later, that point was still debated. A chain…

The Spanish Missions on the California Peninsula: #15, Santa Gertrudis (1752-1822)

By David Kier http://www.vivabaja.com Co-author of ‘The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, 1697-1834’    Fifteen years passed by before the Jesuits were able to establish another mission, and the first one in the northern half of the California peninsula. Padre Fernando Consag had made expeditions seeking potential mission sites, and was baptizing natives in…

The Spanish Missions on the California Peninsula: #14, San Luis Gonzaga Chiriyaqui (1737-1768)

By David Kier http://www.vivabaja.com Co-author of ‘The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, 1697-1834’  Mission San Luis Gonzaga is on the Magdalena Plain of Baja California Sur. In 1721, it was originally established as a visita, or satellite visiting chapel of the mission of Los Dolores Apaté. The Guaycura Indian name for the oasis was…