The California Mission System

The California Mission System was a series of 21 religious outposts established by Spanish missionaries from the late 18th to early 19th centuries, primarily to convert and assimilate Native American populations into Spanish colonial culture. These missions functioned as centers for religious instruction, agriculture, and community building, often disrupting indigenous ways of life. While they facilitated Spanish control and settlement, they also caused significant cultural and environmental impacts on Native peoples, including forced labor, loss of land, and cultural suppression. The mission system played a central role in California's early history, shaping its development and cultural landscape.