Editing Spanish missions in California (section)

== Mission administration ==

The "Father-Presidente" was the head of the Catholic missions in Alta and Baja California.

=== System Father-Presidentes ===
* The Rev. [[Junípero Serra]] (1769–1784)
* The Rev. [[Francisco Palóu]] (''presidente [[pro tempore]]'') (1784–1785)
* The Rev. [[Fermín Francisco de Lasuén]] (1785–1803)
* The Rev. [[Pedro Estévan Tápis]] (1803–1812)
* The Rev. [[José Francisco de Paula Señan]] (1812–1815)
* The Rev. [[Mariano Payéras]] (1815–1820)
* The Rev. José Francisco de Paula Señan (1820–1823)
* The Rev. [[Vicente Francisco de Sarría]] (1823–1824)
* The Rev. [[Narciso Durán]] (1824–1827)
* The Rev. [[José Bernardo Sánchez]] (1827–1831)
* The Rev. Narciso Durán (1831–1838)
* The Rev. [[José Joaquin Jimeno]] (1838–1844)
* The Rev. Narciso Durán (1844–1846)

He was appointed by the [[College of San Fernando de Mexico]] until 1812. Then the position became known as the "Commissary Prefect" who was appointed by the Commissary General of the Indies, a Franciscan residing in Spain. Beginning in 1831, separate individuals were elected to oversee Upper and Lower California.<ref>Ruscin, p. 196</ref>

=== Mission headquarters ===
[[File:Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (Oriana Day, c.1877–84).jpg|thumb|right|[[Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo]], established in 1770, was the headquarters of the Californian mission system from 1797 until 1833.]]
* [[Mission San Diego de Alcalá]] (1769–1771)
* Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (1771–1815)
* Mission La Purísima Concepción*(1815–1819)
* Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (1819–1824)
* Mission San José*(1824–1827)
* Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (1827–1830)
* Mission San José*(1830–1833)
* Mission Santa Barbara (1833–1846)

<nowiki>†</nowiki> The Rev. Payeras and the Rev. Durán remained at their resident missions during their terms as ''Father-Presidente'', therefore those settlements became the [[de facto]] headquarters (until 1833, when all mission records were permanently relocated to Santa Barbara).<ref name="yenne18-19"/><ref group=notes>In 1833 Figueroa replaced the ''padres'' at all of the settlements north of Mission San Antonio de Padua with Mexican-born Franciscan priests from the [[College of Guadalupe de Zacatecas]]. In response, Father-Presidente [[Narciso Durán]] transferred the headquarters of the Alta California Mission System to Mission Santa Bárbara, where they remained until 1846.</ref><ref>Yenne, p. 186</ref>

=== Mission locations ===
{{main|List of Spanish missions in California}}

There were 21 missions accompanied by military outposts in [[Alta California]] from [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] to [[Sonoma, California|Sonoma]], California. To facilitate travel between them on horse and foot, the mission settlements were situated approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) apart, about one [[day's journey]] on horseback, or three days on foot. The entire trail eventually became a 600-mile (966-kilometer) long "California Mission Trail."<ref>{{Cite book|author=Yenne, Bill|year=2004|title=The Missions of California|publisher=Advantage Publishers Group, San Diego, California|isbn=978-1-59223-319-9}}</ref>{{rp|132}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bennett|first=John E.|date=January 1897a |title=Should the California Missions Be Preserved? – Part I |journal=Overland Monthly |volume=XXIX|issue=169|pages=9–24}}</ref>{{rp|152}} Heavy freight movement was practical only via water. Tradition has it that the padres sprinkled [[mustard plant|mustard]] seeds along the trail to mark it with bright yellow flowers.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Markham, Edwin|year=1914|title=California the Wonderful: Her Romantic History, Her Picturesque People, Her Wild Shores...|publisher=Hearst's International Library Company, Inc., New York}}</ref>{{rp|79}}<ref>{{Cite book|author=Riesenberg, Felix|year=1962|title=The Golden Road: The Story of California's Spanish Mission Trail|publisher=McGraw-Hill, New York|isbn=978-0-07-052740-9}}</ref>{{rp|260}}

Following the old [[El Camino Real (California)|Camino Real]] northwards, from [[San Diego]] through to the northernmost mission in [[Sonoma, California]], north of [[San Francisco Bay]], the missions were:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No.
! Name
! Named for
! Location
! Date founded
|-
| 1
| [[Mission San Diego de Alcalá]]
| [[Didacus of Alcalá|St. Didacus of Alcalá]]
| [[San Diego, California|San Diego]]
| {{dts|July 16, 1769}}
|-
| 2
| [[Mission San Luis Rey de Francia]]
| [[Louis IX of France|St. Louis, King of France]]
| [[Oceanside, California|Oceanside]]
| {{dts|June 12, 1798}}
|-
| 3
| [[Mission San Juan Capistrano]]
| [[John of Capistrano|St. John of Capistrano]]
| [[San Juan Capistrano, California|San Juan Capistrano]]
| {{dts|November 1, 1776}}
|-
| 4
| [[Mission San Gabriel Arcángel]]
| [[Gabriel (archangel)|The Archangel Gabriel]]
| [[San Gabriel, California|San Gabriel]]
| {{dts|September 8, 1771}}
|-
| 5
| [[Mission San Fernando Rey de España]]
| [[Ferdinand III of Castile|St. Ferdinand, King of Spain]]
| [[Los Angeles]]
| {{dts|September 8, 1797}}
|-
| 6
| [[Mission San Buenaventura]]
| [[Bonaventure|St. Bonaventure]]
| [[Ventura, California|Ventura]]
| {{dts|March 31, 1782}}
|-
| 7
| [[Mission Santa Barbara]]
| [[Saint Barbara|St. Barbara]]
| [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]]
| {{dts|December 4, 1786}}
|-
| 8
| [[Mission Santa Inés]]
| [[Agnes of Rome|St. Agnes]]
| [[Solvang, California|Solvang]]
| {{dts|September 17, 1804}}
|-
| 9
| [[La Purisima Mission|Mission La Purísima Concepción]]
| The [[Immaculate Conception]]
| Southeast of [[Lompoc, California|Lompoc]]
| {{dts|December 8, 1787}}
|-
| 10
| [[Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa]]
| [[Louis of Toulouse|St. Louis of Toulouse]]
| [[San Luis Obispo, California|San Luis Obispo]]
| {{dts|September 1, 1772}}
|-
| 11
| [[Mission San Miguel Arcángel]]
| [[Michael (archangel)|The Archangel Michael]]
| [[San Miguel, San Luis Obispo County, California|San Miguel]]
| {{dts|July 25, 1797}}
|-
| 12
| [[Mission San Antonio de Padua]]
| [[Anthony of Padua|St. Anthony of Padua]]
| Northwest of [[Jolon, California|Jolon]]
| {{dts|July 14, 1771}}
|-
| 13
| [[Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad]]
| [[María de la Soledad|Mary, Our Lady of Solitude]]
| South of [[Soledad, California|Soledad]]
| {{dts|October 9, 1791}}
|-
| 14
| [[Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo]]
| [[Charles Borromeo|St. Charles Borromeo]]
| [[Carmel, California|Carmel]]
| {{dts|June 3, 1770}}
|-
| 15
| [[Mission San Juan Bautista]]
| [[John the Baptist|St. John the Baptist]]
| [[San Juan Bautista, California|San Juan Bautista]]
| {{dts|June 24, 1797}}
|-
| 16
| [[Mission Santa Cruz]]
| The [[Feast of the Cross|Exaltation of the Holy Cross]]
| [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]]
| {{dts|August 28, 1791}}
|-
| 17
| [[Mission Santa Clara de Asís]]
| [[Clare of Assisi|St. Clare of Assisi]]
| [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]]
| {{dts|January 12, 1777}}
|-
| 18
| [[Mission San José (California)|Mission San José]]
| [[Saint Joseph|St. Joseph]]
| [[Fremont, California|Fremont]]
| {{dts|June 11, 1797}}
|-
| 19
| [[Mission San Francisco de Asís]]
| [[Francis of Assisi|St. Francis of Assisi]]
| [[San Francisco]]
| {{dts|October 9, 1776}}
|-
| 20
| [[Mission San Rafael Arcángel]]
| [[Raphael (archangel)|The Archangel Raphael]]
| [[San Rafael, California|San Rafael]]
| {{dts|December 14, 1817}}
|-
| 21
| [[Mission San Francisco Solano]]
| [[Francis Solanus|St. Francis Solanus]]
| [[Sonoma, California|Sonoma]]
| {{dts|April 4, 1824}}
|}