This volume contains a selection of letters of Fray Junípero Serra and related documents on the occupation of Alta California by Spain and the founding of the first mission establishments there during the period 1769 to 1773. Although this period in the history of Spanish Alta California and Serra’s important role have been quite thoroughly studied and are the subject of a sizeable list of published works, Father Canedo’s slender documentary volume brings into special focus the first crucial phase of the enterprise, the period from 1769 to 1773.
In a brief introduction the author summarizes the historical background of the period covered and the missionary career of Serra. There were other critical years when it appeared that the entire enterprise might fail, but the year 1773 was a turning point. By the end of that year the foundations had been laid for the continued occupancy and colonization of the area by Spain, largely through Serra’s persistent and unflagging enthusiasm and optimism. As the founder of the Mission system of Alta California—eventually to comprise twenty-one mission establishments extending along the coast from San Diego northward beyond San Francisco—Serra played a major role in the successful occupation of Alta California, the northwestern defensive outpost of Spain’s waning colonial empire in late eighteenth-century North America. The introduction is followed by a descriptive list of the principal documentary sources consulted.
The 27 well annotated documents included in the volume are presented in four sections. The first, which deals with the preparation and execution of the combined land and sea expedition to San Diego, consists of four letters from the Visitor General Gálvez to Serra (1768-1769); Serra’s diary of the land expedition from Loreto to San Diego in which he participated; and a letter written by Fray Juan Crespi, chaplain of the advance party which had reached San Diego ahead of the group which Serra accompanied. The second section includes 15 letters, eleven written by Serra, one by Crespi, and two by Fray Rafael Verger, covering the period 1769-1771. These letters describe the period of initial hardships, Serra’s great missionary expectations, plans for completing the founding of the first six missions, and the constant danger of complete failure due to the extremely limited resources and military protection at hand. The third section, covering the decisive period 1772-1773, consists of five letters written by Serra; one from Palou to Serra; and Serra’s memorandum to Viceroy Bucareli written in Mexico on March 13, 1773. Serra had travelled to Mexico to report directly to the Viceroy on the missions and to obtain the support needed to assure their survival. He returned to California in 1774 with favorable action on all the major concerns which had led him to make the long trip to the viceregal capital. The last document in the volume is a brief tribute to Fray Junípero written by one of his Franciscan contemporaries in Mexico.
All of the documents written by Serra included in this volume may be found in English translation in the first volume of the authoritative English-Spanish edition of the Writings of Junípero Serra, 4 volumes (Washington, D.C.: Academy of American Franciscan History, 1955-1966). Two maps show the mission fields in which Serra labored in Mexico, Baja California, and Alta California.
