Second Edition with NEW content and updated travel information.

The California missions tell a far more interesting story than you might have imagined.

From the unique perspective of author Janet Dowling Sands, this beautifully illustrated volume takes you back to deep time and prehistory, to the landscapes and native cultures encountered by the first Europeans who explored California's beautiful but dangerous coast. On a Mission describes how the clash of empires and beginnings of globalization led to the missions' founding- Spain's final colonial endeavor. After Mexican independence, the Californio culture of rancheros and vaqueros flourished, setting the foundation for modern California's open, blended society. Learn how the missions were built and later saved from near-complete oblivion, about the origins of Mission Style, the rare art in the missions, and so much more. Importantly, this book provides insights and reflections on the tragic consequences of the mission system for California's indigenous people-who not only built the missions, but whose descendants live in California today, and are working to revive their cultures, languages, and traditions.