Strung like beads near California’s coastline,
they are remnants of earlier Spanish settlement.
In some places abandoned, at others almost frenetically active,
they speak to the tangled history of our area.
Following Columbus, Spanish explorers and soldiers
took hold in the southern and western parts of
North America, eventually becoming “New Spain.”
At its height, Spain’s colonial empire spanned three continents:
parts of North and South America plus islands in Asia.
Physical mission settlements were a later offshoot,
founded during the late 18th and early 19th centuries
by Franciscan missionary brothers who sometimes supported,
sometimes contested the soldierly establishment.
Politics and religion got further entangled—when Mexico gained
independence from Spain in 1821, some missionaries
returned to Spain voluntarily. Others were expelled.
Over time, most mission lands were gifted to wealthy
Mexican families. Mission buildings fell into disrepair.
Following a war, a gold rush, and further immigration, California
gained U.S. statehood in 1850; in 1861, the United States fractured.
During the period of the U.S. Civil War, some missions
again became church property. Some church buildings got rebuilt.
Some religious orders returned. Schools were started.
From San Diego to Sonoma, with mission sites a long day’s walk between,
these twenty-one enclaves along the Camino Real commemorate
our confused and confusing history–no universally good or bad guys,
no historically consistent ownership. Indigenous people sometimes
benefited, but sometimes were burdened by disease, maltreatment,
even slaughter. Crosses now stand sentinel. Bells ring a reminder:
Few of our missions are ever neat or complete.
California missions (from north to south):
Sonoma, San Rafael, Dolores, San Jose, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Juan Bautista, Carmel, Soledad, San Antonio, San Miguel, San Luis Obispo, La Purisima, Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara, San Bonaventura, San Fernando, San Gabriel, San Juan Capistrano, San Luis Rey, San Diego.
Jinny's Occasional Poems 