Misión San Fernando Rey de España de Velicatá facts for kids
- Another mission named San Fernando Rey de España is in the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles, California.
 Location in Baja California
Location in Mexico
|
|
| Location | San Quintín Municipality, Baja California, Mexico |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°58′16″N 115°14′12″W / 29.97111°N 115.23667°W |
| Patron | Ferdinand III of Castile |
| Founding date | 14 May 1769 |
| Founding priest(s) | Junípero Serra |
| Founding Order | Franciscans |
| Native tribe(s) Spanish name(s) |
Cochimí |
Mission San Fernando Velicatá was a Spanish mission in Baja California, Mexico. It is about 56 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of El Rosario. Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra started the mission in 1769. It was the only mission founded by Franciscans in what is now Baja California.
Contents
History of Mission San Fernando
A Jesuit explorer named Wenceslaus Linck first found the mission's location in 1766. Later, in 1768, the Franciscans took over from the Jesuits. They were tasked with expanding Spanish control north into Alta California.
Founding the Mission
Junípero Serra established Mission San Fernando on May 14, 1769. This happened during the early part of the Portolá expedition. The mission was built at Velicatá, a Cochimí settlement along the northern route. This was Father Junipero Serra's first mission before he moved further north.
Mission's Rise and Fall
In the 1770s, the mission grew quickly under the Franciscans. After 1773, the Dominicans took over. However, the mission soon began to decline. Many native people died from diseases. By about 1818, missionaries no longer lived at the site all the time.
Mission San Fernando Today
Today, you can still see some ruined walls and stone foundations at the mission site. There are also ancient petroglyphs (rock carvings) and some pictograms (rock paintings). A small dam and an aqueduct, which carried water, are visible just west of the mission ruins.
See also
In Spanish: Misión de San Fernando Rey de España de Velicatá para niños
- Spanish missions in Baja California
