Discovering Mission San Gabriel Arcángel

Discovering Mission San Gabriel Arcángel — page 1 — Mission San Gabriel was one of the most successful of the Alta California missions 4

Discovering Mission San Gabriel Arcángel — page 2 — 1 The Spanish Expand Their Empire Tucked away in downtown San Gabriel stands a large fortress style church building that looks somewhat out of place in modern California Yet the structure played a primary role both good and bad in the history of the region Named for Saint Gabriel Holy Prince of Archangels Mission San Gabriel Arcángel’s story tells of struggle accomplishment difficulties and the founding of one of the great cities in North America Staking a Claim The Spanish first arrived along the coast of what they called Alta or upper California in 1542 Explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed out of Navidad near Manzanillo Mexico on June 24 to search for legendary wealthy cities and a water route from the North Pacific to the North Atlantic Neither existed Cabrillo discovered the Bay of San Diego on September 28 He stopped along the shores of Santa Catalina and San Pedro on October 6 and the Tongva the region’s indigenous people canoed out to meet him They invited him to land but he declined Members of his 5

Discovering Mission San Gabriel Arcángel — page 3 — expedition later reached as far north as today’s Oregon before returning to Navidad on April 14 1543 By the 1760s King Carlos III of Spain wanted to ensure his claim on this land before Russian or English people settled there In 1768 the king told the viceroy a person chosen to rule for the king in a new land of New Spain today’s Mexico to start settling the northern frontier of New Spain using the mission In the 1760s King Carlos III sent friars and soldiers to Alta California to start missions system The king sent his officer Inspector General José de Gálvez to help Spain had already used the mission system to take over land in New Spain Florida Texas and Baja or lower California In the spring of 1769 the governor of Baja California an army captain named Gaspár de Portolá led a group of soldiers missionaries and some Christian Native Americans from the Baja California missions into Alta California Some traveled in three ships Others including the president of the missions Fray Junípero Serra traveled the 715 miles by land Their destination was the San Diego harbor discovered more than 225 years earlier by Cabrillo Nearly half of the 219-member expedition died or deserted before reaching their destination in early July One of the three ships was lost at sea On July 16 1769 Fray Serra founded the first of the twenty-one missions near the harbor He named it San Diego de Alcalá 6

Discovering Mission San Gabriel Arcángel — page 4

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