a) Mission San Diego de Alcalá

b) Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo

c) Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

d) Mission San Juan Capistrano

e) Mission San Francisco Solano

(Scroll down for the answer…)

The 21 missions in California were created as religious and military outposts by Spanish Catholics between 1769 and 1829. The goal of the missions was to spread Christianity and assimilate Native Americans into the European way of life. In addition to sharing their faith and culture with the native peoples, the missionaries also shared European diseases, for which the native inhabitants had no immunity, thus killing off much of the indigenous population. While most missions were built by Spanish settlers, the final mission, San Francisco Solano in Sonoma was built by Mexican authorities.

Today, the missions are among some of the most historic and most visited places in the state. The California Mission Trail spans from San Diego to Sonoma. The first mission established in California is a) Mission San Diego de Alcalá, located in San Diego's Old Town area. Today it is an active Catholic Parish.

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo located South of Carmel, the second mission established in California, is pictured above. Photo by burns311 (Creative Commons).

Have you visited any of the 21 missions in California? Which one(s)? Let us know in the comments!