The First MissionMissionsMissions were created to bring the word of God to a new land. They thought the Indians deserved the chance to go to heaven.. Spain helped the Catholic church and the Spanish priests. They wanted to strengthen the Spanish empire in the New World. The thought of being able to teach Indians how to be like the Spanish. Spain thought that Indians could become Spanish citizens. This would give the king more power. The missions were established between 1769 and 1823 in California. The Spanish also built forts called "presidios". The garrisons were supposed to protect California from foreign troops such as the Russians and the British. Spain already had missions in Mexico. They went to Alta California which is not part of Mexico. They made a series of missions called El Camino Real. El Camino Real means "Royal Highway" in Spanish. They called it that in honor of the King of Spain. Each mission had a Franciscan priest called "father". Padre means "father" in Spanish. The head of the priests was Father Junipero Serra.Part BSan Diego MissionThe mission I chose is the very first mission. It has a long name. Basilica of the Mission San Diego de Alcala. It is located in San Diego, California. It was founded by Blessed Father Junipero Serra. It was first built on July 16, 1769. Father Serra liked the site because it was near the San Diego River. The San Diego mission was completed in 1774. But in 1775 it was destroyed by Yuman Indians who were angry at the Fathers for destroying their way of life. The mission was taking people from the tribe. He also took land and other resources. Then they burned the mission and killed one of the fathers. Father Luis Jayme ran out of the fire and was beaten to death by the Indians. In 1776 Father Serra decided to carry out the mission in a new location. They approached the Indians. When they decided to do a new mission they used mud bricks for the walls and they used tiles for the roofs. They used it because they don't burn quickly. They didn't want to be attacked again. Adobe is a heavy clay soil. The mission was also made of wood for the beams. The priests taught the Indians how to turn adobe into bricks. They dug a ditch and mixed the clay with grass or straw.