While the American colonies were busy rebelling against the English Crown, a handful of Spaniards and Mexicans were establishing outposts and blazing an overland route up the California coast, along the New World’s most distant frontier. Beginning in 1769 with the founding of a fortress and a Franciscan mission at San Diego, and culminating in 1776 with the founding of another outpost at what is now San Francisco, a series of small but self-reliant religious colonies was established, each a day’s travel apart and linked by El Camino Real, “The King’s Highway,” a route followed roughly by today’s US-101.
Some of the most interesting missions are listed below, north to south, followed by the dates of their founding.
San Francisco Solano de Sonoma (1823). The only mission built under Mexican rule stands at the heart of Sonoma, a history-rich Wine Country town.
San Juan Bautista (1797). This lovely church forms the heart of an extensive historic park, in the town of the same name.
San Carlos Borromeo (1770). Also known as Carmel Mission, this was the most important of the California missions.
San Antonio de Padua (1771). This reconstructed church, still in use as a monastery, stands in an undeveloped valley inland from Big Sur in the middle of Hunter Liggett Army base. Monks still live, work, and pray here, making for a marvelously evocative visit.
San Miguel Arcangel (1797). The only mission not to have undergone extensive renovations and restorations—almost everything, notably the vibrantly colorful interior murals, is as it was.
La Purisima Concepción (1787). A quiet coastal valley is home to this church, which was restored in the 1930s using traditional methods as part of a New Deal employment and training project.
Santa Barbara (1782). Called the “Queen of the Missions,” this lovely church stands in lush gardens above the upscale coastal city.
San Gabriel Arcangel (1771). Once the most prosperous of the California missions, it now stands quietly and all but forgotten off a remnant of Route 66 east of Los Angeles.
San Juan Capistrano (1776). Known for the swallows that return here each year, this mission has lovely gardens, but the buildings have been badly damaged by earthquakes and the elements, meaning they’ve been under scaffolding for years.
