The Spanish missions of Baja California Sur

The history of Baja California has ancient roots and it's closely linked to the colonization of missionaries, first the Jesuits, then the Franciscans and the Dominicans.

In January 1633, the Spanish government provided an expedition to Baja California with three ships and 200 men commanded by Governor Sinaloa, Isidro de Atondo y Antillon, accompanied by the Jesuit priest Eusebio Kino.

The ships disembarked at what would later become the city of La Paz. The first settlement in La Paz was quickly abandoned because of the local population, who turned out to be hostile and unwilling to settle. So they tried again, near Loreto, but that same attempt failed. Kino and Atondo y Antillon then returned to the continent where the former went to establish several missions in the north-west.

It was not until 1695 that another Jesuit priest, Juan Maria de Salvaterria, succeeded in establishing a permanent Spanish colony in Loreto: the Nuestra Señora de Loreto mission that quickly became the religious and administrative capital of the peninsula.

From here, more Jesuits left to preach and work in the area, creating a total of 23 missions over the next 70 years. Some of them have remained in perfect conditions and can still be visited. 

We chose to tell you about the four we explored and loved during our road trip in Baja California Sur. 

San Ignacio

Mission of San Ignacio

The Mission of San Ignacio was founded by the Jesuit Juan Bautista de Luyando around 1730 in the town of San Ignacio in Southern Baja California; the church dominates the main square of this small yet lively village and represents the most impressive and best preserved mission of Baja California.

Since the rediscovery of the site in 1878, a vast restoration project has brought much of its splendor to light. The interpretation center in town is an excellent introduction to the visit.

The village of San Ignacio is also the starting point to discover the rock paintings hidden in the caves of the Sierra de San Francisco.

Santa Rosalia de Mulegé

Mission of Santa Rosalia de Mulegé

Mission of Santa Rosalia de Mulegé

The mission was founded in November 1705 with funds from the Marquis of Villapuente, by the Jesuit missionary father Juan Manuel Basaldúa. The name Mulegé originates from Cochimies' phrase "carmaanc galexa", which means "great ravine with a white mouth".

It is said that the site was actually found by accident due to a storm that diverted a ship that, from Sonora, was heading to the newly founded mission of Nuestra Señora de Loreto with missionaries and supplies on board. 

The mission was abandoned in 1828 due to lack of population, however with the recent economic development of the Baja California, the population of Mulegé increased considerably and the old mission was restored and returned to render religious services.

Mission of Santa Rosalia de Mulegé

The church is situated in a panoramic position overlooking a lush and thriving valley crossed by a  stream that flows into an estuary on its way to the sea; the dam built by the Jesuits has created an evocative oasis with palm grove.

Oasis of Mulegé

Oasis of Mulegé

Our Lady of Loreto Concho Mission

Considered "Head and Mother of the Missions of Upper and Lower California", Our Lady of Loreto Concho was founded by Jesuit missionaries on 25 October 1697, in the region that the Indians called Conchó, which means 'red mangrove' in the native language.

Upon their arrival, the missionary fathers erected a tent that served as a chapel, in front of which they placed a wooden cross. On 25 October they carried the image of the Virgin of Our Lady of Loreto in solemn procession, proclaiming that land as Spanish territory and thus founding the mission.

After the independence of Mexico in 1821, the mission of Our Lady of Loreto went into decline. Luckily, the reactivation of the economy and the construction of communications infrastructure in Baja California Sur since the last century has benefited the mission, leaving the days of deprivation far behind. 

San Francisco Javier Vigge Biaundo

Mission of San Francisco Javier Vigge Biaundo

Mission of San Francisco Javier Vigge Biaundo

After having founded the mission Our Lady of Loreto Conchó in 1697, the Jesuits noticed a lack of water for the agricultural activities in Loreto. When they learned from Cochimí visitors of the potential of the land near the Sierra de la Giganta, Francisco Maria Piccolo rode the mountains and entered the valley the natives called Biaundó, about 20 kilometers inland from the Gulf of California. 

The local Cochimí rural villagers were friendly and Piccolo baptized 30 of their children. On December 3, 1699, Piccolo founded the mission that became the second longest-lasting in Baja California. 

The church is impressive, and very well preserved, but it is above all the natural context and the small village that surrounds it that makes everything beautiful and exciting. 

Getting there is also part of the experience; driving along the winding mountain route through the Sierra Giganta, between Loreto and the mission, will take you through some stunning landscapes, and if you are visiting in the afternoon you will have the chance to enjoy the beautiful colours of the sunset over the Sierra.

Sierra Giganta

A little note...

This is a story of colonization over the indigenous peoples of the Baja (Cochimi, Guaycura and Pericu), and, like all colonizations, it has its dark side.

Along with religion, palm trees, and fruit farming, the Jesuits brought diseases to Baja California to which the natives had never been exposed. In 1767, in fact, the epidemics of smallpox, plague, typhus and measles and even venereal diseases decimated the population. 

Out of an initial population of around 48,000, only 8,000 remained.