Mission San Fernando Velicata

"We drove all this way for a pile of rubble?"  Clearly, my travel buddy was not impressed.

"Not just any old pile of rubble," I respond indignantly.  "This is the only mission in Baja established by Father Junipero Serra and the Franciscan Order."

It was 1769.  The Jesuits picked out the location but then were expelled from Mexico by King Charles III of Spain by a royal decree.  Evidently, the good padres were speaking out against government corruption or possibly even stealing treasure from the crown.  At any rate, they were all shipped back to Europe and either imprisoned or forced into exile.

Father Serra turned over the mission to the Dominicans in 1772 and headed north to establish the missions in California.

It is a strategic location halfway between the Pacific and Gulf coasts.  Situated near an oasis, water was plentiful.  Sadly, this mission along with all the others in Baja rapidly declined due to outbreaks of smallpox and measles.  By the time Father Serra arrived here, 80% of the population had died.  The missions closed up and the fathers headed north to begin a new chapter in the history of California.

The ruins of Mission San Fernando Velicata can be found off Highway 1 at the KM 121 marker.  It's a short, but bumpy dirt road to the site, but worth the effort because of its historical significance. 

The Jesuit Mission Era lasted in Baja  from 1697 until 1767, but clearly, they left their mark!