David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64849
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Online
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Historical Interest and Literature coming together in a NEW Baja California Missions Guidebook
The project began shortly after co-authoring the 2012 'The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, 1697-1834'. That book was the first and only
one to correctly list the missions in the order they were founded with equal importance and not based on how they ended up or on what side of a line
they are on. A line that did not exist when the missions were founded.
That book has been well received and continues to sell now in its second edition. In fact, my co-author is preparing a Thrid Edition that will include
the El Camino Real details that was so much a part of the California mission system.
The amount of data and stories about the 27 Baja California missions was very limited in that book, as it covers 48 missions in both Californias.
There needed to be a new, more complete history guide to the Baja missions. Much has been discovered in the past several years and most of the newer
books about Baja missions have been using out-dated data that was either not complete or factually inaccurate. The best 'recent' book on all the Baja
missions is Ed Vernon's 'Las Misiones Antiguas' from 2002. It is a large, coffee-table sized book with beautiful photography and pretty good data, but
not user-friendly on trips to Baja. Ed has been a supporter of my work and offered any of his photos or maps for me to use on the new book. The only
other guide since 2001 about all 27 Baja missions was Dave Werschkul's 'Saints and Demons in a Desert Wilderness' from 2003.
Researching for The Old Missions and then digging deeper for my more detailed online articles the past several years had me determined to write a new,
more complete guide to the history and mission locations in Baja California. After several months of data entry, editing (lots of editing), map
producing and GPS locating, the new book is taking form and may be ready to publish soon. Sadly, I don't think it will be out before Christmas this
year as I am more concerned about having it look and read correctly over any early sales!
I do want my friends and fellow history enthusiasts to be in the loop, so I will keep this or other threads here on Baja Nomad up-to-date. I may share
some samples from the book, as well.
From the Introduction:
Details about the Baja California missions need to be told to complement the vast amount of published information available on the twenty-one Alta
California missions. The 800-mile-long peninsula of Baja California is the home of the oldest California missions; the newest California mission to be
founded; and twenty-seven missions in all. Nearly half of these missions were moved and have multiple locations with ruins or churches still surviving
well into the twenty-first century. The last California mission to remain in operation also was in Baja California. The Missions of Baja California,
of Old California, are an important part of the history of the Southwest, California, and Mexico.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED in reading more, see our web page for ordering books: http://oldmissions.com and visit our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/oldmissions (samples from the new book will be posted there).
[Edited on 12-12-2015 by David K]
|
|
rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Chapter 3. Human history in California begins with indigenous Americans first arriving in California some 13,000-15,000 years ago.
|
|
4x4abc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4289
Registered: 4-24-2009
Location: La Paz, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: happy - always
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by rts551 | Chapter 3. Human history in California begins with indigenous Americans first arriving in California some 13,000-15,000 years ago.
|
yes, signs of Isla Espiritu Santo being inhabited 15,000 years ago
however, arriving humans are immigrants, not indigenous Americans
they might become indigenous when they survive
Harald Pietschmann
|
|
rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Absolutely correct Harold. Although many time referred to as indigenous, they migrated from Asia across the long gone land bridge. You can hardly
say anyone "discovered" California after that.
|
|
|