Today we visited another two of the 21 missions on the camino real in california; San Luis de Francia and San Juan de Capistrano. Both have been extensively restored and probably bear little resemblance to their original splendor. The swallows have not returned to the mission capistrano in some time. So the annual festival continues without the guests of honor.
My favorite continues to be San Miguel, which is as close to original as possible. Still and all I am glad to have seen them.
21 missions were created in what would become California by the mexican church. Mission Solano was the last and furthest north, in Sonoma.
I reported on the mission San Miguel the 16th mission established. These missions were really multi-purposed, religious, to convert the indians to catholicism, and to show a Mexican presence in both a political and military way on land claimed by Mexico.
These Missions are testament to a complex history between the United States and Mexico. While not associated with the Missions; the name Vallejo, figures prominently in this history, A general, a diplomat, a businessman. His name appears all over California today. I was completely surprised by how “American” his house; in fact how “New England.”
