Spanish Missionaries
Vintage photo postcard showing Mission San Diego; courtesy the California Mission Studies Association
Fighting Back
Some California Indians ran away to inland areas, while others
who remained at the missions rebelled against the missionaries.
In November 1775 several hundred Indians from the Diegueño, or Kumeyaay, tribe revolted and attacked the mission at San Diego. Many mission residents were killed and the buildings were burned to the ground. Ten years later, a 24-year-old medicine woman named Toypurina attempted to lead a revolt at Mission San Gabriel, but the plot was discovered and she and several others were captured, tried, and punished. Although similar events occurred at several of the missions over the next 50 years, many California Indians converted to Catholicism and embraced Spanish culture.
The Spanish Legacy
The Spanish monarchy abandoned Alta California during the Mexican War of Independence from Spain (1810 – 1821). A number of Spanish-named cities in California founded during this era survive today. For example, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, and Los Angeles were named or renamed with nearby missions in mind. Today 21 landmark missions exist along the coastal spine of California, marking a 700-mile path referred to as El Camino Real (the Royal Road).