Mission de Alcala

Introduction

Mission San Diego de Alcalá was founded on, in what is now the city by Father Junípero Serra. He was first in the 21 Mission chains in Alta California, and today is known as the "mother of the missions of Alta California" and "Church of California of the first." it was located in First Military Zone, and called for Didacus of Alcalá.

History

In 1542, explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo arrived at the present Bay of San Diego, California, and renamed it "San Miguel". For 1607 Sebastian Vizcaino renamed in honor of San Diego de Alcala. In 1768, due to the presence of Russian hunters of seals in the area, the Spanish crown decided to undertake the colonization of that region, although it had the appearance of being a divine mission (Boule, 115). So the enterprise entrusted to the Franciscan friars led by Junipero Serra, who was accompanied by the soldier Gaspar de Portola. Five expeditions were organized. It is at the east end of San Diego's highway 8 that runs through Mission Valley. It sits off on a small knoll overlooking the freeway.

Serra arrived on June 29, 1769, and on July 16 San Diego founded the mission, but the settlement did not prosper because the harsh conditions of the site and the siege of the natives, who attacked the site in August, due, probably because their disease was decreasing and feared a spread. In December 1774, the mission was moved about 9 miles east of the river near San Diego, at the request of the friar Luis Jaime, being named Our Lady of Pilar. Despite the religious managed to fraternize with the natives, they ended up destroying the settlement on November 4, 1775. Some residents were massacred, including Jaime, so it is considered the first Catholic martyr in California (Davidson, 2)

Junipero Serra returned to the site to rebuild the mission, which was built as a military fortification, being consecrated on October 16, 1776. Despite the many setbacks because the dry land, 1797 the settlement began to yield good crops, and husbandry remarkable because once numbered 20,000 sheep, 10,000 heads of cattle and 1,250 horses. Moreover, the expansion of the Christian doctrine among the locals was remarkable. Also, started an irrigation project, the first in the west coast of the United States. The mission, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1803, was rebuilt and completed in 1813. Another distinctive feature was the alleged poisoning 1812 of Fray Pedro Panto at the hands of the Indian cook Nazario (Armento, 22).

After the Independence of Mexico, due to a decree of secularization in 1834, the property was transferred to Santiago Arguello in 1846. However, the following year and after losing the territory under American domination, the mission would be occupied by soldiers, and eventually was abandoned. The U.S. government returned the temple to the Catholic Church in 1862. By 1894, the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondolet occupied the facilities and established a school. In 1831, San Diego de Alcalá was rebuilt in a similar way ...