Pious Fund of the Californias facts for kids
The Pious Fund of the Californias (Spanish: Fondo Piadoso de las Californias) was a special fund created in 1697. Its main goal was to help pay for the Roman Catholic Jesuit and Franciscan missions in what is now California and Baja California. These missions were built in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which was a Spanish colony, from 1769 to 1823.
The fund was first managed by the Jesuits. Later, in the 1800s, it became part of a big legal fight between the United States and Mexico. This case was finally settled in 1902 at The Hague, making legal history.
Contents
How the Fund Started
The Pious Fund began with people and religious groups in Mexico giving money and property. They wanted to help the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) spread the Catholic faith. This was in the northern part of the Las Californias Province, which is now the U.S. state of California.
Early donations went directly to the missionaries. Two very active missionaries were Juan María de Salvatierra and Eusebio Francisco Kino. They founded many missions in Baja California and the Sonoran Desert.
Later, larger donations were given as agreements. Donors would hold onto their property but promise to use its income for the missions. By 1717, most of these donations were given directly to the Jesuits. They managed the Pious Fund until they were forced to leave Mexico.
Who Managed the Fund Over Time?
In 1768, King Charles III of Spain ordered all Jesuits to leave Spanish lands. Because of this, the Spanish government took over the Pious Fund. They managed it until Mexico became an independent country in 1821.
During this time (1768–1821), missionary work in California continued. The Franciscans took care of missions in Upper California. The Dominicans managed missions in Lower California. Before the Jesuits left, thirteen missions were started in Lower California. By 1823, the Franciscans had built twenty-one missions in Upper California.
After Mexico gained independence in 1821, its new government took control of the fund. They continued to manage it until 1840.
The Fund and the Bishop
In 1836, Mexico passed a law. It asked the Holy See (the Pope and the Vatican) to create a bishopric (an area managed by a bishop) in Alta California. The law also said that once a bishopric was created, the Pious Fund's property would be given to the new bishop. The bishop would then manage the fund for its original purposes.
In response, Pope Gregory XVI created the Roman Catholic Diocese of the Two Californias in 1840. He appointed Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno as the first bishop. Bishop Diego had been in charge of the missions in California.
Soon after he became bishop, Mexico gave the Pious Fund properties to Bishop Diego. He managed them until 1842. That year, General Antonio López de Santa Anna, who was the President of Mexico, made a new rule. This rule canceled the 1836 law and said the government should take charge of the fund again.
Selling the Fund's Property
The properties of the Pious Fund were taken by the Mexican Government in April 1842. On October 24 of that year, General Santa Anna issued a new order. He said the fund's properties should be sold. The money from the sale would go into the national treasury.
The sale was set at a price that would represent a 6% annual income from the properties. The order also stated that "the public treasuries will acknowledge a debt of six percent per annum on the total proceeds of the sale." This meant the government would owe 6% of the sale amount each year. The money from tobacco taxes was specifically promised to pay this amount. This payment was meant to continue supporting the original goals of the Pious Fund.
See also
In Spanish: Fondo Piadoso de las Californias para niños
- Spanish missions in Baja California
- Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert
- Spanish missions in Arizona
- Spanish missions in California
- The Roman Catholic Church and Colonialism
- Spanish colonization of the Americas
