Long before Napa made California wine famous, the roots of California wine were planted—literally—by Franciscan missionaries along the California Mission Trail. ByLayne Randolph, Contributor. Forbes ...

The missions—built between 1769 and 1823 and extending in a chain of 600 miles from Sonoma to San Diego—stand as symbols of California's Spanish colonial past. Pictured is San Miguel's bell tower.

With the beginning of Spanish colonization in 1769, the lives of the Indians of California changed drastically. The Spanish mission system, established along the Pacific Coast, required that local ...

Political economy of the Alta California missions -- Aspects of social and cultural change in the mission communities -- Demographic collapse in the Alta California missions -- Resistance and social ...