In 18th-century Spain, daring stories of missionaries spreading the Gospel in the New World ignited the imagination of a devout young boy. Miguel Serra's dream soon became a reality. As Franciscan friar Junípero Serra, he traveled to the New World and tirelessly preached the love of Christ to the natives living in the uncharted wilderness of California. Join the "founding father of California" on his amazing journey. Experience the zeal of the saint who established the first nine Catholic missions in California, from San Diego to San Francisco.
The missions and presidios of California are among the state’s oldest structures and are the most visited historical monuments. These notable buildings are an integral part of California’s history. The state’s recorded history essentially began with the Spanish missions along the ambitious chain of 21 missions on El Camino Reál (The Royal Highway) and the men who founded them. California Missions and Presidios is a gorgeous book that presents the history of these intriguing sanctuaries of peace and beauty. The eye-popping photography of Alastair Worden and Randy Leffingwell captures their unique character, while Leffingwell’s accessible text brings to life the overall history of California’s conquest by the Spanish; the construction and operation of the missions, presidios, ranchos, and adobes; and the background of the mission architecture and style. Seemingly unchanged, these missions and presidios have survived the centuries remarkably well—still welcoming visitors as a refuge of serenity and splendor while providing a glimpse into the lives of the spirited pioneers who built these structures and lived and worked there.
Accurate renderings of 21 structures: San Diego de Alcalá, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Clara de Asís, San José de Guadalupe, Santa Cruz, many more, plus realistic vignettes of mission life. Captions.
Describes the daily life of people who settled in the California missions, why the missions were built, and explores the reasons for the end of the mission era.
Have you visited one or more of the Old Spanish California Missions? Read about the author's journey through all of the twenty-one Missions in California along with his wife Mary, and their daughter Anaïs. In this book you will find interesting facts and characteristics particular to each Mission. In California Missions, Visiting All 21, author Paul Rallion provides useful information that you can use to make your trip more informative and enjoyable. Second Edition: new pictures, computer drawings of all 21 Missions by the author, with a section to take notes during your trip(s) to the Missions. Look for the Spanish version of this book: Las Misiones de California, Visitando las 21, by Paul Rallion.
Studies of the Spanish conquest in the Americas traditionally have explained European-Indian encounters in terms of such factors as geography, timing, and the charisma of individual conquistadores. Yet by reconsidering this history from the perspective of gender roles and relations, we see that gender ideology was a key ingredient in the glue that held the conquest together and in turn shaped indigenous behavior toward the conquerors. This book tells the hidden story of women during the missionization of California. It shows what it was like for women to live and work on that frontierÑand how race, religion, age, and ethnicity shaped female experiences. It explores the suppression of women's experiences and cultural resistance to domination, and reveals the many codes of silence regarding the use of force at the missions, the treatment of women, indigenous ceremonies, sexuality, and dreams. Virginia Bouvier has combed a vast array of sourcesÑ including mission records, journals of explorers and missionaries, novels of chivalry, and oral historiesÑ and has discovered that female participation in the colonization of California was greater and earlier than most historians have recognized. Viewing the conquest through the prism of gender, Bouvier gives new meaning to the settling of new lands and attempts to convert indigenous peoples. By analyzing the participation of womenÑ both Hispanic and IndianÑ in the maintenance of or resistance to the mission system, Bouvier restores them to the narrative of the conquest, colonization, and evangelization of California. And by bringing these voices into the chorus of history, she creates new harmonies and dissonances that alter and enhance our understanding of both the experience and meaning of conquest.
- Table of contents, index, and glossary- Additional resources, maps, important dates, and facts- Primary source documents and illustrations- Maps and timelines- Resources for more information
