Between 1769 and 1823, under the leadership of Father Jun­pero Serra, the Spanish established a chain of missions along the California coast. Models of architectural beauty, they stretched from San Diego to north of San Francisco.
Artist David Rickman's accurately rendered and well-researched drawings (including several double-page spreads) depict all 21 of these admirable structures, among them San Buenaventura, San Jos© de Guadalupe, Santa Cruz, San Diego de Alcal , San Juan Capistrano, Santa Clara de As­s, Santa B rbara Virgen y M rtir, Santa In©s Virgen y M rtir, San Francisco Solano, San Juan Bautista, and San Luis Rey de Francia.
Also included are realistic, ready-to-color vignettes re-creating various aspects of mission life, particularly the role of the mission in converting the Indians to Christianity and instructing them in farming, weaving, blacksmithing, masonry, and other crafts €" even painting and decorating the mission church and surrounding buildings.
An informative caption accompanies each illustration, giving a brief history of the mission, while a general introduction explains the history and purpose of the mission system in California. A map indicates their locations.