The missions and presidios of California are among the state’s oldest structures and are the most visited historical monuments. These notable buildings are an integral part of California’s history. The state’s recorded history essentially began with the Spanish missions along the ambitious chain of 21 missions on El Camino Reál (The Royal Highway) and the men who founded them. California Missions and Presidios is a gorgeous book that presents the history of these intriguing sanctuaries of peace and beauty. The eye-popping photography of Alastair Worden and Randy Leffingwell captures their unique character, while Leffingwell’s accessible text brings to life the overall history of California’s conquest by the Spanish; the construction and operation of the missions, presidios, ranchos, and adobes; and the background of the mission architecture and style. Seemingly unchanged, these missions and presidios have survived the centuries remarkably well—still welcoming visitors as a refuge of serenity and splendor while providing a glimpse into the lives of the spirited pioneers who built these structures and lived and worked there.

Magical spaces rich in history, the missions of California, featured here in all-new photography, invite reverie and hint of romance. The twenty-one missions of California, from San Diego to San Francisco Solano, are historic treasures and sites of pilgrimage for visitors from the world over. Intrinsically beautiful structures typically built of adobe brick and wood, adorned with towers, domes, whitewashed stucco, often surrounded by lush gardens, the missions are at the very heart of California. Established by Spanish padres, built by Native Californians, and preserved and restored by historians and architects, California’s missions are unique monuments to the region’s early American Indian and European histories. This colorful, informative exploration of all twenty-one missions, each with its own rich story to tell, journeys along the historic Camino Real, from Mission Dolores with its flower-strewn courtyard gardens, in San Francisco, to San Juan Capistrano, famous for the swallows that flock to its inviting grounds. With lush photography that captures the missions’ details so splendidly, this is the perfect book for mission visitors and lovers of their strong and simple forms.

This book offers a history of this California mission and what life was like during the period

Complemented by full-color photographs, this updated handbook recounts the story of the California missions and offers detailed profiles of all twenty-one historic missions, offering a unique tour of each site's architecture, artistry, and historical significance.

Accurate renderings of 21 structures: San Diego de Alcalá, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Clara de Asís, San José de Guadalupe, Santa Cruz, many more, plus realistic vignettes of mission life. Captions.