Mission Santa Maria

Missions of Baja California

To expand its interests in the eastern Pacific during the 18th century, Spain used missionaries to convert native peoples and help colonize the West Coast.  Baja California proved a stubborn impediment on both counts.  Efforts to harness the peninsula were heroic, but the conversion of indigenous peoples proved tragic:  nearly the entire population was wiped out.  Today the physical remains of this period seem oddly romantic, testaments to incredible perseverance.  Their silent whispers also offer cautionary tales about ignorance, arrogance, and environmental constraints.