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California Missions: 50 Interesting Facts

By Damian Bacich

The California missions are home to fascinating stories and interesting facts. The following is a list 50 things you might not know about the missions– but there are many more to discover. Pirate Raid In 1818, a French privateer named Hippolyte Bouchard (known in Spanish as Hipólito Bouchard), led a series of raids along the coast of Alta California. Bouchard […]

Filed Under: Franciscans, Hispanic Heritage, Resources, Spanish Missions Tagged With: Chumash, Gen. Mariano G. Vallejo, Hipólito Bouchard, Mission San Diego de Alcala, mission san fernando, Mission San Francisco Solano, Mission San Juan Bautista, mission san juan capistrano, Mission San Luis Obispo, Mission San Miguel, Mission Santa Clara, Pirates

“Follow the Money”: Interview with Marie Christine Duggan (Part 2)

By Damian Bacich

In this second part of the interview we learn about what studying economic history can reveal about the past. In particular, we learn about California’s early connections to the Far East, and how competition over the fur trade created some unusual rivalries and alliances. Highlights of Part 2: Franciscan views of money and morality. The […]

Filed Under: Early Land and Sea Routes, Native Americans, Podcast Episodes, Resources, Soldiers and Presidios, Spain, Spanish Exploration and Colonization, Spanish Missions Tagged With: Chumash, José de la Guerra y Noriega, Manila Galleon, Mission Dolores, Mission San Luis Obispo, Otter Trade, Philipines

Land Grants in Alta California

By Damian Bacich

The story of land ownership in modern California begins with the practice of Spanish land grants. Beginning in the 18th century, Spain allowed farming and ranching by private individuals in California. In the 19th century the Mexican government continued and expanded the program. Land Laws in Spain The laws and customs about who could own […]

Filed Under: European Settlements, Hispanic Heritage, Podcast Episodes, Resources, Spanish Exploration and Colonization Tagged With: California Land Act, Laws of Indies, Presidios, Pueblos, Ranchos, Secularization, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

California Frontier Podcast: Welcome to Season 2

By Damian Bacich

The California Frontier Podcast is back! Our first season was short — interviews with journalist and travel writer Maggie Espinosa about her pilgrimage to all 21 of the Spanish missions in California, and with Greg Bernal Smestad about his quest to preserve the Californio traditions pass on to him by his grandmother. Both were very […]

Filed Under: Podcast Episodes, Resources

Why Did Native Americans Come to the California Missions?

By Damian Bacich

Why Did Native Americans Come to the Missions?

Native Americans came to the California missions for a variety of reasons. Some of these were: protection from their enemies, access to stable food sources, attraction to Spanish culture and religion, fear of Spanish weapons and a desire to stay together with their clans and kin. Were Native Americans Forced to Enter the California Missions? […]

Filed Under: California Indians, Indians featured, Native Americans, Resources, Spanish Missions Tagged With: Native Americans, spanish missions

Native Americans of the California Coast: The Chumash

By Damian Bacich

The Chumash are a widespread group of California native people who lived along the southern California coast and the Santa Barbara Channel Islands.

Filed Under: California Indians, Native Americans, Resources Tagged With: Channel Islands, Mission La Purisima, pictograph, rock art, San Buenaventura, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, tomol

Saving the Stories of La Raza

By Damian Bacich

Not long ago I was invited to attend a gathering at a trendy Mexican restaurant in downtown San José, California. As I walked inside, I noticed an eclectic group of professionals, from teachers to engineers, journalists to professors. The bond that united everyone present was a passion for the history of a very influential corner […]

Filed Under: Hispanic Heritage, Resources Tagged With: Juana Briones, Silicon Valley

Life at a California Mission: A Native American Perspective

By Damian Bacich

In the 1830’s, a young man named Pablo Tac wrote about his experiences growing up at Mission San Luis Rey. It is one of the only firsthand accounts written by a Native American who lived at a mission.

Filed Under: 4th Grade, California Indians, Daily Lives, Indians featured, Native Americans, Primary Sources, Resources Tagged With: Agapito Amamix, Antonio Peyri, California Indians (Standard 1), Daily Lives (Standard 5), Luiseño, Native Americans, Pablo Tac, Pala, Primary Sources, San Diego

Grit and Grace on the Golden Gate: The Unforgettable Juana Briones

By Damian Bacich

Juana Briones lived in Spanish, Mexican and U.S. California and she left her mark on all three. Now she is receiving the attention she deserves.

Filed Under: Californios, Daily Lives, European Settlements, Hispanic Heritage, Resources, Soldiers and Presidios, Spanish Exploration and Colonization Tagged With: Juana Briones, women

Salinan Tribe Facts

By Damian Bacich

There were probably as many as 21 Salinan villages in the extending just south of Mission La Soledad to the north of San Luis Obispo.

Filed Under: Native American Tribe Facts, Resources

The Chumash at a Glance

By Damian Bacich

Chumash is the name given to the original inhabitants of the central coast of California, from Morro Bay to Malibu, and three of the Channel Islands.

Filed Under: Resources

Mission San Juan Bautista Facts

By Damian Bacich

Mission San Juan Bautista (Photo by Damian Bacich)

Filed Under: Resources

Origins of Mexican Independence (Part 1)

By Damian Bacich

Origins of Mexican Independence

Filed Under: Mexican War for Independence, Resources, Spain Tagged With: Carlos II, Compadrazgo, Enlightenment, King Carlos III, Siete Partidas, Virreinatos

Chumash Tribe Facts

By Damian Bacich

Other names: Obispeño, Ventureño, Barbareño, Purisimeño, Yneseño, Canalino Home region: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, as well as the Channel Islands, east to Castaic and Mt. Pinos. Mission affiliations: San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, San Buenaventura, Santa Bárbara, La Purísima Concepción, Santa Inés Historical background: Chumash is the name given to a number of […]

Filed Under: California Indians, Native American Tribe Facts, Resources

Mission San Francisco Solano Facts

By Damian Bacich

Mission San Francisco Solano as it appears today.

Filed Under: Resources, Spanish Missions

California Frontier Glossary: Vocabulary Words of the Mission and Presidio Era

By Damian Bacich

Many words used to describe people and objects in Alta California are unfamiliar to us today.

Filed Under: Resources Tagged With: Glossary, Vocabulary

California Mission Facts

By Damian Bacich

Between 1769 and 1823 Spanish missionaries founded 21 missions up and down the coast of Alta California (today’s state of California). These missions were meant to continue the chain of missions extending north from the southern tip of Baja California. Below is a list of mission facts:

Filed Under: Resources, Spanish Missions

Governors of Alta California

By Damian Bacich

At the very beginning of the Spanish occupation of Alta California and until 1777, the governors were military commanders. Until 1804, governors were in charge of overseeing the province of Las Californias, both Baja and Alta California.

Filed Under: Resources

Books About the California Missions – Where to Start

By Damian Bacich

Books

Friends often ask me where they should begin in learning about the California missions. There are are so many books about the California missions out there — some of which I’ll review later — that it is hard to know where to start.  Below are a few books that have helped me.  All of these […]

Filed Under: Resources Tagged With: featured

California Mission List: Photos, Locations, Founders

By Damian Bacich

Between 1769 and 1823 Spanish missionaries founded 21 missions up and down the coast of Alta California (today’s state of California). These missions were meant to continue the chain of missions extending north from the southern tip of Baja California.

Filed Under: 4th Grade, Resources, Spanish Missions

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I’m Dr. Damian Bacich, and I started the California Frontier Project. Learn more about me and the project here.

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