The Old Franciscan Missions of California | Page 6

de Benavides, the Franciscan historian of New
Mexico, laid the foundation of the parish church, which was completed
in 1627. When, in 1870, it was decided to build the stone cathedral in
Santa Fé, this old church was demolished, except two large chapels and
the old sanctuary. It had been described in the official records shortly
prior to its demolition as follows: "An adobe building 54 yards long by
9-1/2 in width, with two small towers not provided with crosses, one
containing two bells and the other empty; the church being covered
with the Crucero (the place where a church takes the form of a cross by

the side chapels), there are two large separate chapels, the one on the
north side dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, called also 'La
Conquistadorea;' and on the south side the other dedicated to St.
Joseph."
Sometime shortly after 1636 the old church of San Miguel was built in
Santa Fé, and its original walls still form a part of the church that
stands to-day. It was partially demolished in the rebellion of 1680, but
was restored in 1710.
In 1617, nearly three hundred years ago, there were eleven churches in
New Mexico, the ruins of one of which, that of Pecos, can still be seen
a few miles above Glorieta on the Santa Fé main line. This pueblo was
once the largest in New Mexico, but it was deserted in 1840, and now
its great house, supposed to have been much larger than the
many-storied house of Zuni, is entirely in ruins.
It would form a fascinating chapter could I here tell of the stirring
history of some of the Missions established in New Mexico. There
were martyrs by the score, escapes miraculous and wonderful. Among
the Hopis one whole village was completely destroyed and in the
neighborhood of seven hundred of its men--all of them--slain by their
fellow-Hopis of other towns, simply because of their complaisance
towards the hated, foreign long-gowns (as the Franciscan priests were
called). Suffice it to say that Missions were established and churches
built at practically all of the Indian pueblos, and also at the Spanish
settlements of San Gabriel and Santa Cruz de la Canyada, many of
which exist to this day. In Texas, also, Missions had been established,
the ruins of the chief of which may be visited in one day from the city
of San Antonio.

CHAPTER II
THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE MISSIONS OF LOWER
CALIFORNIA (MEXICO) AND ALTA CALIFORNIA (UNITED
STATES)

Rightly to understand the history of the Missions of the California of
the United States, it is imperative that the connection or relationship
that exists between their history and that of the Missions of Lower
California (Mexico) be clearly understood.
As I have already shown, the Jesuit padres founded fourteen Missions
in Lower California, which they conducted with greater or less success
until 1767, when the infamous Order of Expulsion of Carlos III of
Spain drove them into exile.
It had always been the intention of Spain to colonize and missionize
Alta California, even as far back as the days of Cabrillo in 1542, and
when Vizcaino, sixty years later, went over the same region, the
original intention was renewed. But intentions do not always fructify
and bring forth, so it was not until a hundred and sixty years after
Vizcaino that the work was actually begun. The reasons were diverse
and equally urgent. The King of Spain and his advisers were growing
more and more uneasy about the aggressions of the Russians and the
English on the California or rather the Pacific Coast. Russia was
pushing down from the north; England also had her establishments
there, and with her insular arrogance England boldly stated that she had
the right to California, or New Albion, as she called it, because of Sir
Francis Drake's landing and taking possession in the name of "Good
Queen Bess." Spain not only resented this, but began to realize another
need. Her galleons from the Philippines found it a long, weary, tedious
and disease-provoking voyage around the coast of South America to
Spain, and besides, too many hostile and piratical vessels roamed over
the Pacific Sea to allow Spanish captains to sleep easy o' nights. Hence
it was decided that if ports of call were established on the California
coast, fresh meats and vegetables and pure water could be supplied to
the galleons, and in addition, with presidios to defend them, they might
escape the plundering pirates by whom they were beset. Accordingly
plans were being formulated for the colonization and missionization of
California when, by authority of his own sweet will, ruling a people
who fully believed in the divine right of kings to do as they pleased,
King Carlos the Third issued the proclamation already