Spanish Missions in Baja California
By Levi Clancy for לוי on
updated
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View Spanish Colonialization in Las Californias in a larger map
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Jesuit Missions in Baja California (1683-1768)
| Misión San Bruno | Founded 1683 Abandoned 1695 | |
|---|---|---|
| Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó | Founded 1697 | Also known as Mission Loreto. |
| Visita de San Juan Bautista Londó | Founded 1699 | |
| Misión San Francisco Javier de Viggé-Biaundó | Founded 1699 | Originally founded five miles north, but moved to its current site in 1710. |
| Misión San Juan Bautista Malibat | Founded 1705 Abandoned 1721 | Aka Misión Liguí, scarcely even any ruins remain. |
| Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé | Founded 1705 Location? | A church built in 1766 remains. |
| Misión San Jose de Comondú | Founded 1708 Location? | Misión San Jose de Comondú was relocated to Visita San Ignacio in 1736, which took on the name of the mission; the original site was henceforth now known as Comondu Viejo, and was a visita of the new mission. |
| Misión La Purísima Concepción de Cadegomó | Founded 1720 Abandoned 1822 | The original site was moved in 1735, and is in the present city of La Purisima (location?). |
| Misión de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de La Paz (Airapí) | Founded 1720 Abandoned 1748 | In 1748 the mission relocated to its sub-mission Visita Todos Santos, which took on the name Mision La Paz. Only a plaque remains to mark this original site. |
| Misión Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Huasinapi | Founded 1720 Abandoned 1795 | All that remains are some stone foundations and walls of a church built ~1750. |
| Misión Santiago de Los Coras | Founded 1721 Abandoned 1741 | Originally somewhere closer to the coast, this quickly moved to the site where it remained some twenty years. However, it then was moved to the visita of La Pasion (below). It is sometimes called Dolores del Sur in anticipation of a Dolores del Norte (which was built as Misión Santa Gertrudis). This and San Pedro Martir are the only two missions not accessible by automobile. |
| Misión Nuestra Señora de los Dolores del Sur Chillá | Est 1721 (Visita) Est 1741 (Misión) Abandoned 1768 | Originally Visita La Pasion, this was the final location of the Los Dolores mission (though some sources mistakenly list it as Mision La Pasion). |
| Misión San Ignacio Kadakaamán | Founded 1728 Abandoned 1840 | The glorious stone church was completed in 1786. |
| Misión Estero de las Palmas de San José del Cabo Añuití | Founded 1730 | |
| Misión Santiago el Apostol Aiñini | Founded 1724 Founded 1734 Founded 1790 Abandoned 1795 | The original site was established after the failure at Santa Ana in 1722; it is now on a private ranch and is off-limits to visitors. The second site was founded in 1734 where the town church of Santiago is today. Some sources mention a third move in 1790. |
| Misión San Jose del Cabo Añuiti | Founded 1730 | No ruins remain at any of the mission's known locations. It was established near the coast (1730), then moved five miles inland to today's San Jose Viejo, then back to the coast (1735) as a visita for Mision Santiago and a Spanish presidio, followed by a final move 1 mile inland (1753). |
| Visita Todos Santos Misión Santa Rosa de las Palmas | Est 1724 (Visita) Est 1733 (Mision) Abandoned 1748 | This was originally Visita Todos Santos, serving Mision La Paz. It was then established as its own mission Santa Rosa de las Palmas in 1733. However, when Mision La Paz relocated to the area in 1748, the mission was abandoned and its population transferred to the new Misión de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de La Paz (now in Todos Santos, not Airapí). |
| Misión Nuestra Señora del Pilar de la Paz (Todos Santos) | Founded 1748 Moved 1825 Abandoned 1840 Locatino? | In 1748 Misión Nuestra Señora del Pilar de la Paz moved from Airapí to Todos Santos, replacing the nearby Misión Santa Rosa de las Palmas. This site is now occupied by a lovely church built in 1970. In 1825 the mission moved again, one mile south. This final site is occupied by the town church. |
| Misión San Luis Gonzaga Chiriyaqui | Founded 1740 Abandoned 1768 | A stone church remains, built in 1750. |
| Misión Santa Gertrudis de Cadacaman | Founded 1751 Abandoned 1822 | This was originally planned as Misión Dolores del Norte, and appears as such on the Jesuit mision list of 1745 and the 1757 map based on old information. However, when Marques de Villapuente donated the funds to establish the mission, he requested it named after Saint Gertrude. However, some recent sources incorrectly place Dolores del Norte between San Ignacio and Santa Gertrudis, or attribute the name to vista ruins in San Pablo Canyon, near the mission. Further, in 1964, locals told their first visitors that their old village walls were remains of Dolores del Nrote, as though perhaps it was an early visita named Dolores. |
| Misión San Francisco Borja | Founded 1762 | Originally a visita for Mision Santa Gertrudis. There are adobe walls, believed to be Franciscan. There is a stone church built by Dominicans. |
| Visita de Calamajué | Founded 1766 | Originally intended to be the location for Misión Santa María de los Ángeles, it proved to be an unsuitable site due to mineral waters that prevented agriculture. It became a small station for those en route. All that marks the site are some adobe ruins. |
| Misión Santa María de los Ángeles | Founded 1767 | When crops were unable to grow at the mission at Visita de Calamajué, the Jesuits decided this new site was suitable. However, the Jesuits had only build palm log shacks when they were removed from Las Californias in early 1768. Franciscans built the adobe ruins that remain at the site, but it was soon neglected when the first Franciscan mission in Las Californias, Misión San Fernando, was founded nearby by Padre Serra. Santa Maria was demoted to a visita. vivabaja.com/msm |
Franciscan Missions in Baja California (1768-1733)
| Misión San Fernando Rey de España de Velicatá | Founded 1769 Abandoned 1818 | The site was chosen by the Jesuits before their removal. It was established by the Franciscans, their only mission in Baja California; the nearby Misión Santa María was reduced to a visita. vivabaja.com/missions2/page2.html |
|---|---|---|
| Visita de la Presentación | Founded 1769 |
Dominican Missions in Baja California (1774-1834)
| Misión Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario de Viñacado | Founded 1774 Moved 1802 Abandoned 1832 | The water became unusable in 1802, so it was moved nearby. |
|---|---|---|
| Visita de San José de Magdalena | Founded 1774 | |
| Misión Santo Domingo de la Frontera | Founded 1775 | |
| Misión San Vicente Ferrer | Founded 1780 | |
| Misión San Miguel Arcángel de la Frontera | Founded 1797 | |
| Misión Santo Tomás de Aquino | Founded 1791 | |
| Misión San Pedro Mártir de Verona | Founded 1794 | |
| Misión Santa Catarina Virgen y Mártir | Founded 1797 | |
| Visita de San Telmo | Founded 1798 | |
| Misión El Descanso | Founded 1817 | Misión San Miguel la Nueva |
| Misión de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe del Norte | Founded 1834 |
Studies
vivabaja.com/missions1 (an absolutely invaluable resource)