The Spaniards who came from New Spain (which is now Mexico) built the Missions.

The Missions were made of Adobe which was a mixture of manure, straw, dry grass, and mud. These were baked in the sun to make a brick.

They built the Missions because they wanted the Indians to live and work at the Missions. They wanted to teach the Indians the Christian religion, farming, and the European way of life.

The Missions are located between San Diego to San Francisco along the El Camino Real. The El Camino Real was an early California highway. It was Spanish for the “Royal Highway”. It ran north from San Diego for 530 miles to Sonama to connect the 21 Franciscian Missions.