California's Spanish President

California's Spanish President

San Diego, the first European settlement in Southern California, was founded by Father Junípero Serra in July 1769. A member of the Franciscan order, Father Serra was part of a larger expedition chartered by King Charles III of Spain and headed by explorer Don Gaspar de Portola to travel north from Baja California and occupy the territory known then as Alta California.

When they arrived in San Diego, the Spaniards found about 20,000 Kumeyaay Indians living in a hundred or so villages along the coast and inland. The missionaries attempted to convert them to Christianity, and taught them agricultural and other skills so they could work what would become the missions' vast holdings.

Mission San Diego Alcalá, established on a hillside above what is now Mission Valley, was the first of the 21 that the Franciscans ultimately built along the coast of California. After establishing the mission and presidio in San Diego, Serra and Portola moved on, founding the Mission San Carlos Borromeo and presidio at Monterey. This was later moved to Carmel, where Father Serra settled and maintained his headquarters until his death in 1784.

Father Serra, the padre president of California, established nine missions. Besides those at San Diego and Monterey, these were: San Antonio de Padua, 1771; San Gabriel, 1771; San Luis Obispo, 1772; Dolores, 1776; San Juan Capistrano, 1776; Santa Clara, 1777; and San Buenaventura, 1782. He personally oversaw the planning, construction, and staffing of each of these, and conferred the sacraments. His work took him from Carmel to locations up and down the length of California. It's estimated that during this period he walked more than 24,000 mi in California visiting missions.

The missions comprised millions of acres and were in fact small self-sufficient cities with the church as the centerpiece. In addition to converting the Indians to Christianity and teaching them European ways, the padres managed farming, education, and industries such as candle making and tanning. San Diego is the southernmost mission, while the mission at Sonoma, San Francisco Solano, the last to be founded, in 1823, is the northernmost; each was established a day's walk -- about 30 mi -- from the previous one and was linked to the El Camino Highway. The missions were the earliest form of lodging in the Golden State, known far and wide for the hospitality they afforded visitors.

Father Serra spent barely a year in San Diego before embarking on his journey to establish missions across California, but his presence left a lasting imprint. You can see some of the history at the Junípero Serra Museum and at Mission San Diego Alcalá. And you can trace his footsteps along El Camino Real by driving U.S. 101, the historic route that traverses coastal California from south to north.