Mission San Diego de Alcalá facts for kids
The church façade of Mission San Diego de Alcalá
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 Location in San Diego
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| Location | 10818 San Diego Mission Rd. San Diego, California 92108-2429 |
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| Coordinates | 32°47′4″N 117°6′23″W / 32.78444°N 117.10639°W |
| Name as founded | La Misión San Diego de Alcalá |
| English translation | The Mission of Saint Didacus of Acalá |
| Patron | Saint Didacus of Alcalá |
| Nickname(s) | "Mother of the Alta California Missions" |
| Founding date | July 16, 1769 |
| Founding priest(s) | Father Presidente Junípero Serra |
| Built | 1769 |
| Architect | Fr. Jose Bernardo Sanchez |
| Founding Order | First |
| Headquarters of the Alta California Mission System | 1769–1771 |
| Military district | First |
| Native tribe(s) Spanish name(s) |
Kumeyaay (Ipai / Tipai) Diegueño |
| Native place name(s) | Kosoi, Nipawai |
| Baptisms | 6,522 |
| Confirmations | 1,379 |
| Marriages | 1,794 |
| Burials | 4,322 |
| Neophyte population | 1,455 |
| Secularized | 1834 |
| Returned to the Church | 1862 |
| Governing body | Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego |
| Current use | Parish Church |
| Official name: San Diego Mission Church | |
| Designated | April 15, 1970 |
| Reference no. | 70000144 |
| Designated | April 15, 1970 |
| Reference no. | #242 |
| Designated | October 6, 1976 |
| Reference no. | 113 |
Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá (Spanish: Misión San Diego de Alcalá) was the second Franciscan mission built in The Californias. This area was a province of New Spain. It was founded on July 16, 1769, by Spanish friar Junípero Serra. The mission is located in what is now San Diego, California. The Kumeyaay people had lived in this area for a long time.
Both the mission and the land around it were named after a Catholic saint named Didacus of Alcalá. He was a Spaniard often called San Diego. This mission was where the first Christian burial happened in Alta California. The first mission building was burned down in 1775 during an uprising by local native people. Father Luis Jayme was killed during this uprising. He is known as California's first Christian martyr. His body is buried under the church floor. The church building you see today was built in the early 1800s. It is the fifth church to stand on this spot. The mission site is now a National Historic Landmark.
Contents
History of Mission San Diego
The Spanish settlement was built on land where the Kumeyaay people lived. This area was called Nipawai. The native people who lived here were later called Diegueño by the Spanish. We know a lot about these native people. This is partly thanks to Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. He explored the coast for Spain in 1542. He wrote about the coastal villages he saw in Southern California. Cabrillo was the first European to arrive in what is now California. He was also the first to see San Diego Bay. On September 28, 1542, his ships sailed into the harbor. Cabrillo named it "San Miguel." His crew went ashore and met some native people.
About 60 years later, another Spanish explorer arrived. His name was Sebastián Vizcaíno. He landed about ten miles from the mission site. On November 10, 1602, his ships dropped anchor. Vizcaíno renamed the port "San Diego de Alcalá." The Spanish did not return to San Diego for another 167 years.
Why Missions Were Built
Since the time of Christopher Columbus, Spain wanted to build missions. They wanted to convert native people in Nueva España (New Spain) to Roman Catholicism. This would help Spain colonize these new lands. In 1741, Russia started showing interest in North America. Because of this, King Philip V decided missions were needed in Upper California.
In 1769, José de Gálvez sent an expedition. It was led by Junípero Serra and Gaspar de Portolà. Their goal was to build missions and forts (called presidios) in San Diego and Monterey. This would help Spain claim the Pacific Coast harbors. Two groups traveled by foot from Lower California. Two supply ships sailed up the coast from the Baja California Peninsula.
Challenges and Rebuilding
The first mission church was destroyed by fire in 1775. About 800 native people attacked the mission. They burned it down. A blacksmith and a carpenter were killed or badly hurt. Father Jayme was also killed. He became California's first Catholic martyr. Father Jayme is buried next to the altar in the church today.
Only a few people survived the attack. These included a corporal, three soldiers, one blacksmith, and two children. Father Vicente Fuster, another priest, also survived. Father Serra returned to the site in 1776. He oversaw the rebuilding of the mission. However, there was not much water. It was also hard to prepare the land for farming. This made rebuilding the mission a long and difficult process.
From 1778 to 1795, the mission focused on raising horses and mules. They provided about 16 animals each year to other missions. After it was rebuilt, Mission San Diego de Alcalá saw many people join. In one period, 567 baptisms were performed. The number of native people living at the mission reached 908.
The Rancho Period (1834–1849)
On August 9, 1834, Governor Figueroa issued a law. It was called the "Decree of Confiscation." This law meant that the missions were offered for sale. But people could not afford them. So, all mission property was divided into large farms called ranchos. These ranches were given to former military officers. These officers had fought in the Mexican War of Independence against Spain.
On June 8, 1846, Mission San Diego de Alcalá was given to Santiago Argüello. Governor Pío Pico gave it to him for his service to the government. After the United States took over California, the mission was used by the military. This lasted from 1846 to 1862.
California Becomes a State (1850–1900)
President Abraham Lincoln signed a paper on May 23, 1862. This paper gave ownership of the mission back to the Roman Catholic Church. When the mission was returned, it was in ruins. In the 1880s, Father Anthony Ubach started to restore the old mission buildings.
The 20th Century and Beyond (1901 – Present)
Father Ubach died in 1907. The restoration work stopped until 1931. In 1941, the mission became a parish church again. It is still an active church today. It serves the Diocese of San Diego. In 1976, Pope Paul VI gave the mission church a special title. He called it a minor basilica.
Mission San Diego de Alcalá is located in San Diego. It is near where Interstate 8 and Interstate 15 meet. It is about one mile east of Snapdragon Stadium.
Other Important Designations
- California Historical Landmark
- California Historical Landmark – El Camino Real (This is where the famous road started in Alta California)
- City of San Diego Historic Designation #113
Mission Industries and Life
The main goal of the missions was to become self-sufficient. This means they wanted to produce everything they needed themselves. So, Farming was the most important activity at any mission. Before the missions, native people knew how to use natural materials. They used bone, seashells, stone, and wood for building and making tools.
The missionaries taught the native people new skills. They taught them about farming, crafts, and raising animals. Everything the people used was made at the missions. The priests supervised this work. This way, the native people not only supported themselves. After 1811, they also helped support the military and government of California.
The main crops at San Diego were Wheat, corn, wine grapes, barley, and beans. They also raised cattle, horses, and sheep. In 1795, they started building a system of aqueducts. These were like channels to bring water to the fields and the mission. This was the first irrigation project in Upper California. The person in charge of building was Fray Pedro Panto. He was poisoned by his cook, Nazario. Nazario said he poisoned the friar because Father Panto often beat him.
The Mission San Diego was mainly supported by a large land grant from the Spanish king. This land covered about one-third of the current City of San Diego. It also included most of La Mesa and Lemon Grove. Its borders are roughly Interstate 805, Miramar Road, Route 125 (California), Skyline Drive, and Division Street. Boundary Street, which is near Interstate 805, gets its name from being on one part of this border.
Wine Production
The first vineyards in California were planted at this mission in 1769. Father Junípero Serra planted these first grapevines. The grapes were of the Mission variety. These grapes were brought to Mexico in the 1500s. Sadly, these first plants did not survive. The first surviving grapevines were at Mission San Juan Capistrano.
However, by at least 1781, wine was being made at Mission San Diego. One source says the mission's vineyards grew to be very large, up to fifty thousand acres. The mission vineyards continued to produce wine until at least 1823.
Images for kids
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Natives using a simple plow to prepare a field near Mission San Diego de Alcalá.
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A painting of Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1848. It shows the original bell tower before it was destroyed. It also shows the covered front porch.
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The "Alemany Plat" map. This map shows the property given back to the Catholic Church in 1862.
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President Abraham Lincoln's signature on the document that returned the Mission property to the Catholic Church in 1862.
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Mission San Diego de Alcalá around 1900. Notice the missing bell tower and the church in disrepair.
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An aerial view of the Mission in 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Misión San Diego de Alcalá para niños
- Spanish missions in California
- List of Spanish missions in California
- Santa Ysabel Asistencia
- Presidio of San Diego
- USNS Mission San Diego (AO-121) – a ship named after the mission.
- Union Station (San Diego)
- List of the oldest buildings in the United States
- Pueblo de San Diego
