David K
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Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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The First/ Founding Padres for each mission
Sometimes talking about people in history, rather than places, creates interest. In this list, I give the names of the missionaries who founded the 27
missions in Baja California, rather than just the mission names.
The Jesuits were the first missionaries to establish mission centers in Baja California, a land believed to be an island and called
simply "California."
The Jesuit who was the greatest influence on the California mission program was Padre Eusebio Kino. Kino attempted twice to build in California. First
was at La Paz in April 1683 and again at San Bruno in October 1683. Both attempts failed but what Kino learned from them would make a mission program
succeed.
1) Padre Juan María de Salvatierra founded the mission of Loreto in October 1697. Padre Kino was to accompany him but, at the last
minute, was diverted to deal with a possible Indian uprising on the mainland. Padre Francisco Piccolo would soon come to Loreto, in place of Kino.
2) Padre Francisco Piccolo (also spelled Pícolo) founded the second California mission, San Francisco Javier de Biaundo, in May
1699. The mission would be moved south 5 miles (8 kms) around 1710-1720.
3) Padre Pedro de Ugarte founded the third California mission, San Juan Bautista de Ligüí, in November 1705. Pedro's brother, Juan
de Ugarte, had already taken over operations at San Javier the year before. Sadly, the mission at Ligüí had a difficult existence with the problem
of Indian attacks and lack of fresh water.The mission location was also called Malibat by another tribe who moved in.
4) Padre Manuel de Basaldúa founded the mission of Santa Rosalía de Mulegé, also in November 1705. Both Basaldúa and Ugrate left
Loreto on November 21, 1705 to establish their new missions. Mulegé is over 3 times further away from Loreto than is Ligüí.
5) Padre Julián de Mayorga founded the fifth California mission, San José de Comondú, in 1708. In 1736, shorty after Padre Mayorga
died, the mission moved south 22 miles. The name stayed the same after the move and the original site was then called Comondú Viejo.
6) Padre Nicolás Tamaral founded the sixth mission and named it La Purísima Concepción, in January 1720. The mission site was
developed by Padre Piccolo as far back as 1712 to be prepared for becoming a mission.
7) Padre Jaime Bravo and Padre Juan de Ugarte arrived at the Bay of La Paz in November 1720. They sailed south from Loreto in the
ship Ugarte had built for the Jesuit missions of California. Padre Clemente Guillén arrived soon after, coming overland from his mission at Ligüí/
Malibat to assist with the founding of Mission Nuestra Señora del Pilar de la Paz, the seventh California mission.
8 ) Padre Everardo Hellen founded Mission Guadalupe de Huasinapí on December 26, 1720 a year after Padre Juan de Ugarte was in the
area obtaining lumber to build the first ship in California, The Triunfo de la Cruz.
9) Padre Clemente Guillén founded the mission of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Apaté, in August 1721. This was a new beginning
after the abandoning of the mission at Ligüí/ Malibat.
10) Padre Ignacio María Nápoli was the founder of the mission of Santiago. He had first attempted it in 1722 in the land of the
Cora Indians after a 1721 trip to the coast at Bahía de Palmas where he baptized several children. When the church failed at the 1722 site (called
Santiago de los Coras at Santa Ana, near San Antonio), Napoli tried again further south, in 1724, founding Mission Santiago el Apóstol Aiñiní.
11) Padre Juan Bautista de Luyando personally financed part of, and founded, the mission of San Ignacio de Kadakaamán in 1728. This
remained the furthest north mission for the next 24 years.
12) Padre Nicolás Tamaral from Mission la Purísima came south with Padre Visitador General José de Echeverría to
establish Mission San José del Cabo (first called San José de los Coras) on April 8, 1730. The mission moved several times between the beach and
inland 5 miles over the years. San José del Cabo was also the only mission to be abandoned for a 20-year period (1748-1768) only to reopen until
around 1840.
13) Padre Sigismundo Taraval opened the mission of Santa Rosa de las Palmas in August 1733 at the La Paz mission visita of Todos
Santos. The Pericú Revolt broke out a year later and destroyed this and the other missions in the region (Santiago, San José del Cabo, and La Paz),
killing two Jesuits (Padres Carranco of Santiago and Tamaral of San José del Cabo) and many others perished. It would be more than two years before
the missions reopened.
14) Padre Lamberto Hostell founded the mission of San Luis Gonzaga on July 14, 1737 at what had been a visita of Mission Nuestra
Señora de los Dolores. Shortly after the founding, Padre Hostell was called away for an emergency at San José del Cabo. In November 1740, Hostell
returned.
15) Padre Georg Retz founded Mission Santa Gertrudis on July 15, 1752. This was several years after Padre Fernando
Consag had begun baptizing the Indians of the region north of his mission, San Ignacio, and assigning him to a future mission that was being
called 'Dolores del Norte' all while he was exploring for a mission site. When funding for a new mission became available, the benefactor requested it
be named after his wife, Gertrudes. Dolores del Norte only existed on paper. The site chosen was at a spring called La Piedad and building there began
a year before Padre Retz arrived. Often both the founding year and the padre name credited with the founding is different because of these unusual
circumstance.
16) Padre Wenceslao Linck founded Mission San Francisco de Borja Adac on September 1, 1762. Just like at Santa Gertrudis, Padre
Consag had explored for a site to develop a new mission. When one was discovered, Padre Retz began to develop and build a road to it from Santa
Gertrudis, in 1759.
17) Padre Victoriano Arnés and Padre Juan José Díez traveled two days north from San Borja to establish the next mission, at
Calamajué. The mission was founded on October 16, 1766 but after just seven months, was moved, and on May 26, 1767 Mission Santa María would be the
last Jesuit mission in California.
The 20 Jesuits listed above who officially founded the 17 missions are only 1/3 of the Jesuits who have worked on the peninsula over 70 years. 60
Jesuits lived, worked, and some died, in California. Many others have notable stories to tell...
FRANCISCANS:
18) Padre Junípero Serra founded the first Franciscan-California mission at Velicatá, and named it San Fernando, on May 14, 1769. Serra was
on his journey from Loreto to San Diego when this important site was made a mission.
DOMINICANS:
19) Padre Francisco Galistéo founded Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Viñadaco, on July 24, 1774. This was the Dominican Order's
first California mission.
20) Padre Manuel Garcia and Padre Miguel Hidalgo founded Mission Santo Domingo on August 30, 1775, twenty leagues north of El Rosario
(~50 miles).
21) Padre Miguel Hidalgo and Padre Joaquin Valero founded Mission San Vicente Ferrer on August 27, 1780, twenty leagues north of
Santo Domingo.
22) Padre Luis Sáles founded Mission San Miguel Arcángel on March 28, 1787, midway between San Vicente and San Diego.
23) Padre José Loriénte founded Mission Santo Tomás de Aquino on April 24, 1791. This was after Padre Sáles had explored the area
in 1785. Santo Tomás filled the large gap in territory between San Vicente and San Miguel.
24) Padre Caietano Pallás, Padre Juan Pablo Grijálva, and Padre José Loriénte are credited for the founding of Mission San Pedro
Mártir de Verona on April 27, 1794. The mission was located at 6,785 feet in a meadow of Baja California's highest mountain range (later named for
this mission) and within months was moved down to 5,080 feet above sea level because of the cold temperatures at the first site.
25) Padre José Loriénte and Padre Tomás Valdellón officially founded Spain's final mission in Baja California on November 12,
1797, Mission Santa Catalina Virgen y Mártir. This was the most researched mission site and construction began three months before it was founded.
Mexican Missions:
26) Padre Felix Caballero in 1830 built a new mission at El Descanso with help from Chief Jatiñil in the same valley where Padre
Tomás Ahumada had temporarily moved Mission San Miguel from about 1810 to around 1814.
27) Padre Felix Caballero founded the last California mission on June 25, 1834 and named it Nuestra Señor de Guadalupe. Often called
Guadalupe del Norte to prevent confusion with the 1720-1795 Jesuit mission of Guadalupe de Huasinapí. Caballero closed both San Miguel and El
Descanso with the opening of Guadalupe.
[Edited on 9-24-2021 by David K]
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pacificobob
Super Nomad
Posts: 2237
Registered: 4-23-2006
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I have always considered it humorous that person who is supposed to be celibate uses the title of "father"
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3499
Registered: 8-27-2003
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#28, just to the north of your map: Nate Colbert, and still HR leader of the Padres.
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