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.

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 ...

Spanish missions that dot the landscape in California today exist as centers of historical interpretation. Visitors to California, residents of the state, and school children often turn to these sites ...

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 ...