Miguel del Barco facts for kids

Miguel del Barco (born in Casas de Millán, Spain, in 1706 – died in Bologna, Italy, in 1790) was a Jesuit missionary. He worked in Baja California, Mexico, and wrote very important books about the history and people of the peninsula.

Early Life and Journey

Miguel del Barco was born in Casas de Millán, a town in Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain. He studied at the University of Salamanca and earned a degree there. In 1728, he joined the Jesuit order. The Jesuits are a group of Catholic priests. In 1735, he traveled to the "New World," which is what people called the Americas back then.

Life as a Missionary

When Miguel del Barco arrived in Baja California, he first went to the mission of San José del Cabo in 1737. He worked among the Pericú people for a short time.

After that, he moved to San Javier mission. He stayed there for more than 30 years, from 1737 to 1768. At San Javier, he worked with the Cochimí people. He also helped build the beautiful stone church at San Javier.

Miguel del Barco held a very important job called visitador. This was the highest leader for all the California missions. He served as visitador twice: from 1750 to 1754 and again from 1761 to 1763.

Exile and Later Life

In 1767 and 1768, the Jesuits were told to leave all Spanish lands. This meant Miguel del Barco had to leave Baja California. He went to live in Bologna, Italy, which was a Papal territory at the time. He lived there in exile until he died in 1790.

His Important Writings

Even after leaving Baja California, Miguel del Barco continued to write. His most lasting work was about the history and the different groups of people in Baja California. He wrote several short reports and letters.

In Bologna, around the 1770s, he wrote a long book. This book added new information and corrected mistakes in an earlier history of the peninsula by Miguel Venegas. Miguel del Barco's writings were a main source for another important history book written later by Francisco Javier Clavijero.

Miguel del Barco's own work stayed as a handwritten book for a long time. It was not published until 1973. His writings help us understand what life was like in Baja California many years ago.

See also

• In Spanish: Miguel del Barco para niños