Education Commons^™

1978 – The Economic Aspects Of California Missions, Robert Archibald

Franciscan Publications

While the ordained purpose of the missions was the Christianization and Hispanicization of the native people, the necessity of gathering Indians into communities required a viable economic base for support. Once Mexico achieved its independence from Spain, the missions also took on the support of the military and much of the civilian population. The California missions as frontier institutions are viewed as pastoral, agricultural, mercantile and financial organizations. The book examines the development of these economic functions.