Old Baja Mission Conditions: Q & A What is each mission's condition today?

While a California mission was far more than a church (farms, dams, reservoirs, housing, barracks, hospitals), it is the church building we think of when a mission is pictured or seen. The missions in Baja include the first 18 California missions (Baja was California first, after all).

The condition of the old mission church building varies from totally preserved to totally vanished or lost. Multiple mission locations and visitas included.

I) Totally preserved original construction (some modern repairs possible):

1. San Javier
2. Mulegé
3. Comondú [site 2] (side chapel preserved, main church demolished)
4. San Ignacio
5. San Luis Gonzaga
6. Santa Gertrudis
7. San Borja stone church

These churches were built under the direction of masons and are located where a local population helped prevent vandalism.

San Ignacio:

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II) Original mission construction with substantial, modern repairs, or additions:

1. Loreto (missing roof and bell tower added in the 1950s)
2. Todos Santos (Mission Pilar de la Paz, 1825 site)

Loreto:

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III) Original mission church stone walls standing, in ruins:

1. Comondú Viejo [site 1]
2. Guadalupe de Huasinapí
3. Los Dolores [site 1]
4. Vistita San Juan Londó

Londó:

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IV) Original mission church adobe walls standing, no preservation:

1. Visita San Pablo
2. Santa María
3. San Fernando
4. Santo Tomás [sites 1 & 3]

Santa María:

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V) Original mission church walls with preservation:

1. San Borja adobe ruins
2. El Rosario [sites 1 & 2]
3. Santo Domingo
4. San Vicente
5. San Miguel (at La Misión)

San Miguel:

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VI) Original mission foundation or rubble visible:

1. Los Dolores [site 2] (La Pasión)
2. Calamajué [site 1 for Santa María]
3. San Pedro Mártir
4. Santa Catalina
5. Descanso [1830 site]
6. Guadalupe (del Norte)

Descanso:

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VII) Original mission church replaced with a modern church, same site:

1. Santiago
2. San José del Cabo

Santiago:

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VIII) Original mission vanished, exact location known:

1. Ligüí
2. Santa Rosa (Todos Santos)
3. Santo Tomás [site 2]

Ligüí:

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IX) Original mission vanished, exact location unknown:

1. La Paz







[Edited on 3-17-2018 by David K]

Thank you David.

Here is a picture from the almost complete restoration of the lost
Mision de El Centenario, La Paz.

Quote: Originally posted by bkbend

San Fernando Velicata? Cat VI?

Sharp eye award to you! I couldn't sleep, so I was doing that list at 2-3 am this morning!! Thank you.

I added San Fernando to category IV as there is still some standing walls, but they are not preserved beyond having a fence around them. Once they are no longer standing, then it becomes VI.

San Fernando in 2017:

Great lost one Karl!

San Fernando Photos 1926-2017

Quote: Originally posted by bkbend

I haven't been in there for about 20 years, and given the rate of deterioration from 20 years before that I figured it was just a mud pile now. I guess I'll have to swing in there again before it is all gone. That was the first mission site I ever checked out, and I'm going to check out a couple new-to-me missions next week.

San Fernando Mission, founded by Franciscan President Padre (now Saint) Junípero Serra on his way to San Diego from Loreto on May 14, 1769, and transferred to the Dominicans in July 1773. The mission's final resident priest was José Martín who left about 1818. Other Dominicans continued to visit the mission and made notes on the Book of Records until May 16, 1825.

In 1926:


In 1949:


In 1953:


In 1959:




My first photo of San Fernando in April 1974:


I returned in 1975 and shot the other side of the mission:


The following three photos from Dr. Hans Bertsch...
In 1981:


In 1987:


Also 1987:


Jack Swords took this in November 2000:


I took Baja Angel there in December 2004:




In 2016:




In 2017: