TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Maps of Missions, Trails & El Camino Real

http://vivabaja.com/missions1 This is the web page of the latest and most accurate 'basic facts' on the 27 missions in Baja and several of the visitas (or satellite mission visiting stations). Links to the El Camino Real location maps and satellite images, as well.

Dates, photos (past and present), GPS, multiple locations of some missions, etc. are in the web site.

Here are the missions:

The 17 Jesuit Missions

1) Nuestra Señora de Loreto Concho 1697-1829

2) San Francisco Javier de Biaundo 1699-1817 (moved 5 miles south in 1710)

3) San Juan Bautista de Ligui/ Malibat 1705-1721

4) Santa Rosalia de Mulege 1705-1828

5) San Jose de Comondu 1708-1827 (moved 22 miles south in 1736)

6) La Purisima Concepcion de Cadegomo 1720-1822 (moved 10 miles south in 1735)

7a) Nuestra Señora del Pilar de la Paz Airapi 1720-1748 (moved to Todos Santos in 1748)

7b) Nuestra Señora del Pilar de la Paz (Todos Santos) 1748-1840

8) Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Huasinapi 1720-1795

9a) Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Apate 1721-1741 (moved to La Pasion in 1741)

9b) Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Chilla (La Pasion) 1741-1768

10) Santiago el Apostal Aiñini 1724-1795 (moved 2 miles south in 1734)

11) Nuestro Señor San Ignacio Kadakaaman 1726-1840

12) San Jose del Cabo Añuiti 1730-1840 (moved 5 miles north, then back, then 1 mile north)

13) Santa Rosa de las Palmas (Todos Santos) 1733-1748 (absorbed by moved La Paz mission in 1748)

14) San Luis Gonzaga Chiriyaqui 1737-1768

15) Santa Gertrudis 1752-1822

16) San Francisco de Borja Adac 1762-1818

17a) Calamajue 1766-1767 (moved 30 miles north in 1767)

17b) Santa Maria de los Angeles 1767-1769

The final 10 Baja California missions

San Fernando Velicata was the only Franciscan founded mission in Baja California. The Dominicans assumed control of the Baja California missions in 1773.

18) San Fernando Velicata 1769-1818

19) Nuestra Señora del Rosario Viñaraco 1774-1832 (Moved 2 miles west in 1802)

20) Santo Domingo 1775-1839 (Moved 2 miles east in 1793)

21) San Vicente Ferrer 1780-1833

22) San Miguel Arcangel 1787-1834 (moved 7 miles west in 1788)

23) Santo Tomas de Aquino 1791-1849 (moved 1 mile northeast in 1794, and 2 more miles east in 1799)

24) San Pedro Martir de Verona 1794-1806 (moved 7 miles south and nearly 2,000' lower in elevation, after 3 months)

25) Santa Catalina Virgen y Martir 1797-1840

26) El Descanso 1817-1834 (Also called 'San Miguel Nuevo', moved 1/2 mile north in 1830)

27) Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe 1834-1840

I have added the missions with their dates of operation... above.

Next, I will work on a list of visitas for various missions...

Photos of the mission sites listed above (including historic photos) are in the web site, so check them out!

Once I get around to adding the GPS for the visitas in Part 3, I think I will be finished with this revision.

California Teachers: This is for you: San Diego was NOT the FIRST California mission... it wasn't even the first Franciscan mission or the first mission founded by Fr. Junipero Serra! See the web page for the first California missions...

San Diego was the 19th California mission and the second California mission founded by Franciscan Junipero Serra... using people and church articles taken from the older Califonia missions, on the peninsula.

Are you still planning to publish the GPS locations? Sounds like a big job, but I'd like to see them.

Originally Posted by Nighttrain

Are you still planning to publish the GPS locations? Sounds like a big job, but I'd like to se them.

Done a long time ago... See the missions page and note GPS waypoints added (WGS84): http://community-2.webtv.net/baja4me/bajamissions

Here is Loreto, for example: GPS: 26°00'37.0" 111°20'35.8"

I still need to add the visita waypoints to the visita page, but the entire list has been online for a month or so... see link on web page for GPS data.

Here it is (posted on April 25, 2009, updated Aug. 3, 2009):

GPS WAYPOINTS for mission sites (map datum WGS84)


EL DESCANSO-1 (fort) 32º11'59.40" 116º54'30.00"

EL DESCANSO-2 32º12'19.62" 116º54'19.24"

SAN MIGUEL 32º05'39.10" 116º51'15.03"

GUADALUPE 32º05'30.50" 116º34'30.50"

SANTA CATALINA 31º39'38.10" 115º49'16.00"

SANTO TOMAS-1 31º34'11.00" 116º28'50.00"

SANTO TOMAS-2 31º34'24.30" 116º27'58.70"

SANTO TOMAS-3 31º33'30.00" 116º24'48.90"

SAN VICENTE 31º19'47.90" 116º15'33.00"

SAN PEDRO MARTIR 30º47'24.25" 115º28'20.85"

(Visita) SAN ISIDORO 30º45'55.17" 115º32'49.81"

SANTO DOMINGO 30º46'15.20" 115º56'14.00"

ROSARIO-1 30º04'01.00" 115º43'08.00"

ROSARIO-2 30º02'29.00" 115º44'20.80"

SAN FERNANDO VELICATA 29º58'16.52" 115º14'12.20"

(Visita) SAN JUAN DE DIOS 30º10'57.61" 115º10'04.50"

(Historic spring on El Camino Real) AGUA DULCE 29º52'58.70" 114º49'25.00"

SANTA MARIA 29º43'54.50" 114º32'50.16"

CALAMAJUE 29º25'16.30" 114º11'42.36"

(Historic water hole near El Camino Real) TINAJA DE YUBAY 29º10'41.37" 113º59'15.20"

SAN BORJA 28º44'40.37" 113º45'14.39"

(Visita) SANTA ANA 28º41'25.23" 113º49'14.31"

(Water hole near Golfo Camino Real) TINAJA DE SANTA MARIA 28º26'05.20" 113º20'01.40"

SANTA GERTRUDIS 28º03'04.02" 113º05'07.17"

(Visita) SAN PABLO 27º42'07.81" 113º08'42.08"

SAN IGNACIO 27º17'02.18" 112º53'56.12"

GUADALUPE DE HUASINAPI 26º55'09.50" 112º24'20.60"

SANTA ROSALIA DE MULEGE 26º05'37.00" 111º59'09.30"

(Visita) SAN JOSE DE MAGDALENA 27º03'40.33" 112º13'24.87"

(Pila/ ag site for San Jose de Magdalena, mis-identified as Mision Santa Maria Magdalena) 27º03'29.10" 112º10'12.34"

SAN JOSE DE COMONDU (1st site, 'Comondu Viejo') 26º16'27.40" 111º43'08.50"

SAN JOSE DE COMONDU (final site) 26º03'34.59" 111º49'20.41"

LA PURISIMA (1st site, 'Purisima Vieja') 26º18'34.48" 112º09'50.98"

LA PURISIMA (final site) 26º11'25.60" 112º04'22.60"

SAN BRUNO (1683-1685 colony site) 26º13'57.50" 111º23'53.90"

LORETO 26º00'37.00" 111º20'35.80"

(Visita) SAN JUAN BAUTISTA LONDO 26º13'30.83" 111º28'24.51"

SAN JAVIER 25º51'36.86" 111º32'36.99"

(Visita) LA PRESENTACION 25º43'45.00" 111º32'37.40"

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA DE LIGUI/ DE MALIBAT 25º44'22.20" 111º15'51.00"

LOS DOLORES APATE 25º03'19.04" 110º53'03.33"

LOS DOLORES CHILLA (La Pasion) 24º53'14.4" 111º01'49.81"

SAN LUIS GONZAGA 24º54'29.00" 111º17'27.25"

PILAR DE LA PAZ AIRAPI 24º09'36.00" 110º18'59.40"

(Visita) EL NOVILLO 23º55'48.60" 110º13'28.20"

(Visita) ANGEL DE LA GUARDA (EL ZALATO) 23º53'27.60" 110º10'14.80"

(a church from the 1760's) SAN BLAS 23º53'10.40" 110º09'16.21"

SANTA ROSA DE LAS PALMAS (Todos Santos-1) 23º27'37.30" 110º13'08.31"

PILAR DE LA PAZ (Todos Santos-2) 23º26'59.16" 110º13'31.62"

(Visita) SAN JACINTO 23º14'34.21" 110º04'37.20"

Thanks for your interest!

The Baja Missions from Space!

Now, for the mission locator or guide... I have maked each site on Google Earth to help see the general area around the mission and will provide a GPS waypoint (WGS 84 in the degrees, minutes, seconds format, as used by Google Earth).

Satellite images are all oriented with north at the top, unless otherwise noted.

From North to South...

EL DESCANSO 32º12'19.62" 116º54'19.24" Located behind a church that can be seen from the Ensenada toll road. An exit just north once was signed for the mission, but has been renamed 'Rancho Descanso'. Access from the free road along the lagoon/ arroyo, under the toll road bridge (south of the Cantamar sand dunes). The original site (1817-1830) and fort location (Descanso-1/Fort) is to the south of the arroyo, on the hill: 32º11'59.40" 116º54'30.00"



SAN MIGUEL 32º05'39.10" 116º51'15.03" Located right on the free road in La Mision, next to a school on the north side of the road.



GUADALUPE 32º05'30.50" 116º34'30.50" Located on a dirt street off the entrance paved road going through Guadalupe (Francisco Zarco) from Highway 3.



SANTA CATALINA 31º39'38.10" 115º49'16.00" Located on a hilltop overlooking a cemetery on the far side of the community of Santa Catarina, east of Ejido Independencia off Hwy. 3.



SANTO TOMAS-1 31º34'11.00" 116º28'50.00" Located by an oak grove picnic and camping area off the road to La Bocana.

SANTO TOMAS-3 31º33'30.00" 116º24'48.90" Located next to the El Palomar campground on Hwy. 1.



SAN VICENTE 31º19'47.90" 116º15'33.00" Located a short drive west of Hwy. 1, north of San Vicente. Well signed.



SAN PEDRO MARTIR 30º47'24.25" 115º28'20.85" Located over 5,000 feet above sea level and requires 2 days of backpacking to reach.



(Visita) SAN ISIDORO 30º45'55.17" 115º32'49.81" Located on the trail to Mision San Pedro Martir, several hours walk from the nearest road.




SANTO DOMINGO 30º46'15.20" 115º56'14.00" Located 5 miles east of Hwy. 1, just north of the Arroyo Santo Doming bridge, north of Colonia Vicente Guerrero. Signed.



ROSARIO-1 30º04'01.00" 115º43'08.00" Located just off Hwy. 1 in El Rosario. Signed.

ROSARIO-2 30º02'29.00" 115º44'20.80" Located in the town of Rosario de Abajo, just over a mile from Hwy. 1.



SAN FERNANDO VELICATA 29º58'16.52" 115º14'12.20" Located about 4 miles from Hwy. 1. Signed turnoff at Rancho Progreso.



(Visita) SAN JUAN DE DIOS 30º10'57.61" 115º10'04.50" Located above the east side of the arroyo, next to the road to Rancho El Metate, 22 miles from Hwy. 1.



(note: site obliterated by farmer in 2008)

(Historic spring on El Camino Real) AGUA DULCE 29º52'58.70" 114º49'25.00" Located 2 miles east from Hwy. 1 at Km. 160-161.



SANTA MARIA 29º43'54.50" 114º32'50.16" Located 14.5 miles from Rancho Santa Ynez over an extreme 4WD road.



CALAMAJUE 29º25'16.30" 114º11'42.36" Located 15.5 miles north of Hwy. 1 (Km. 261) or 14 miles east and south of Coco's Corner, on the east bank of Arroyo Calamajue.



(Historic water hole near El Camino Real) TINAJA DE YUBAY 29º10'41.37" 113º59'15.20" Located north of the L.A. Bay highway off the road signed 'Rancho San Luis'.



SAN BORJA 28º44'40.37" 113º45'14.39" Well signed 21 miles south of L.A. Bay highway or east of Hwy. 1 at Nuevo Rosarito.



(Visita) SANTA ANA 28º41'25.23" 113º49'14.31" Located south of the San Borja/ Nuevo Rosarito road.



(Water hole near Golfo Camino Real) TINAJA DE SANTA MARIA 28º26'05.20" 113º20'01.40" Located south from the old road to San Francisquito, south of Bahia de los Angeles and just east of Rancho La Bocana (San Pedro).



SANTA GERTRUDIS 28º03'04.02" 113º05'07.17" Access roads from El Arco, Guillermo Prieto and San Francisquito/ El Barril.



(Visita) SAN PABLO 27º42'07.81" 113º08'42.08" Located in San Pablo Canyon, east of Vizcaino. Access may be restricted without a guide.



SAN IGNACIO 27º17'02.18" 112º53'56.12" Facing the town plaza of San Ignacio.



GUADALUPE 26º55'09.50" 112º24'20.60" Signed as the 'ex-mision' of Guadalupe, east of San Jose de Magdalena in the mountains northwest of Mulege.



SANTA ROSALIA DE MULEGE 26º05'37.00" 111º59'09.30" On the south side of the river, just west of the highway bridge in Mulege.



(Visita) SAN JOSE DE MAGDALENA 27º03'40.33" 112º13'24.87" Just east of the town on the south side of the arroyo, north of Mulege.



(Pila/ ag site for San Jose de Magdalena, mis-identified as Mision Santa Maria Magdalena) 27º03'29.10" 112º10'12.34" Located just outside the canyon 'Boca de Magdalena' east of Palo Verde, north of Mulege.



SAN JOSE DE COMONDU (1st site, 'Comondu Viejo') 26º16'27.40" 111º43'08.50" On the old transpeninsular road between ranchos of San Juan and La Presa. 11 miles west of wy. 1 on the La Purisima road (south of Bahia Concepcion), turn south for 9 miles. 22 miles north of town of Comondu.



SAN JOSE DE COMONDU (final site) 26º03'34.59" 111º49'20.41" In the town of San Jose Comondu.



LA PURISIMA (1st site, 'Purisima Vieja') 26º18'34.48" 112º09'50.98" Located 16 miles north of San Isidro, 3.4 miles south of Paso Hondo.



LA PURISIMA (final site) 26º11'25.60" 112º04'22.60" In the town of La Purisima.



SAN BRUNO (1683-1685 colony site) 26º13'57.50" 111º23'53.90" 14 miles north of Loreto near, the coast on a hill.



LORETO 26º00'37.00" 111º20'35.80" In the center of town.



(Visita) SAN JUAN BAUTISTA LONDO 26º13'30.83" 111º28'24.51" About 17 miles north of Loreto and just west of Hwy. 1, next to a ranch. Ruins visible from the highway.



SAN JAVIER 25º51'36.86" 111º32'36.99" 22 miles west and south from Loreto, well signed.



(Visita) LA PRESENTACION 25º43'45.00" 111º32'37.40" About 11 miles south of San Javier.



SAN JUAN BAUTISTA DE LIGUI/ DE MALIBAT 25º44'22.20" 111º15'51.00" (no remains, arroyo swallowed ruins in 2001) At the southeast junction of the road to Playa Ligui and Ensenada Blanca, just east of Hwy. 1, nine miles south of Puerto Escondido.



LOS DOLORES APATE 25º03'19.04" 110º53'03.33" Access by foot/ mule trail off road to Los Burros about 15 miles norteast of La Presa and Los Dolores Chilla (La Pasion).



LOS DOLORES CHILLA (La Pasion) 24º53'14.4" 111º01'49.81" Just east of Rancho La Presa at Rancho La Capilla off the road to San Pedro de la Presa.



SAN LUIS GONZAGA 24º54'29.00" 111º17'27.25" Off the road to Presa el Ihuajal, 10 miles south of Ciudad Constitucion.



LA PAZ: No ruins remain, only a plaque marks the possible location of the La Paz mission near the bay, before being moved to Todos Santos.

(Visita) EL NOVILLO 23º55'48.60" 110º13'28.20" (perhaps a visita of the La Paz mission... Pin location and GPS from Jack Swords)



(Visita) ANGEL DE LA GUARDA (EL ZALATO) 23º53'27.60" 110º10'14.80" (a visita of the La Paz mission)



SAN BLAS (a church from the 1760's village) down the hill from El Zalato 23º53'10.40" 110º09'16.21"


(view sideways and looking west)





Note new construction added to 1760's walls.

There are two mission sites for Todos Santos.

The first site began as a visita for the La Paz mission (named 'Todos Santos'), then became a seperate mission named 'Santa Rosa de las Palmas'... some stone walls are all that remain and a modern church is built on the site: 23º27'37.30" 110º13'08.31"]

The La Paz mission (Nuestra Señora del Pilar de la Paz) moved from the Bay of La Paz to Todos Santos and that ended the Santa Rosa mission...

The second site is the location of the modern town church of Todos Santos, where the mission moved. 23º26'59.16" 110º13'31.62"



(Visita) SAN JACINTO 23º14'34.21" 110º04'37.20"



Two more missions:

The first Santiago mission site is on a private farm approx. 2 miles from town and doesn't welcome visitors.

The second Santiago mission site is believed to be the location of the town church today.

Earlier locations for the mission that would become Santiago were near Los Barriles, and called Ensenada de las Palmas and the silver mine area of Real de Santa Ana.

The modern town church of San Jose del Cabo is built on the final site of the mission of San Jose del Cabo... which had at least three earlier locations between the coast and San Jose Viejo, 4 miles inland.

For more details and photographs: http://vivabaja.com/missions1

The El Camino Real are the trails used to connect the missions... There were several and some were parallel to each other... The three main maps are in order from Loreto north to Santa Maria, the last Jesuit mission.

The Camino Real through Mulege is on a seperate map, as well as another map showing the Camino Real to the first Comondu mission site (Comodu Viejo) and the newer Camino Real between San Javier/ Loreto the newer mission location for San Jose de Comondu...

See the fresh look of the Baja Missions web page at this new URL: http://vivabaja.com/missions1

If there is anything history-wise you are curious about, regarding the mission period (1683-1849)... PLEASE ask!

If you have an interest in the post mission/pre-highway period (1849-1973) then let's start a new thread on that.

Thanks for sharing your passion, DK

There's so much history out there, and it's to the benefit of history to be put forth (sometimes ... put forth AGAIN...) ...in this internet era.

I always love the old maps. It's so curious to see some things labeled on old maps that still coincide with current maps. Coco's Corner was one that caught my eye.

Again, we enjoy the posts.
'Nuts~

There is another thread for old maps... I am happy to post any that I have... Coco's Corner is 'new'... well, not there before Coco, anyway. How old a map did you see Coco's Corner listed? Sometime in the 1990's or perhaps late 1980's is when he got statred there, I believe.

Yes, it was definitely a recent map in comparison to some of the old maps you share, but I can't remember if it was something I found online or where.

I just remember seeing it and being surprised that it was on a map as I'd kinda thought of Coco's place as one of those places everyone knows about, but it's not actually listed.

Maybe something like the Giggling Marlin beach, which is not the actual name for the beach, but everyone knows where the Giggling Marlin is.

Originally Posted by BajaNuts1

Yes, it was definitely a recent map in comparison to some of the old maps you share, but I can't remember if it was something I found online or where.

I just remember seeing it and being surprised that it was on a map as I'd kinda thought of Coco's place as one of those places everyone knows about, but it's not actually listed.

Maybe something like the Giggling Marlin beach, which is not the actual name for the beach, but everyone knows where the Giggling Marlin is.

I did see it on a Mexican made Baja map, only it was listed as 'Esquina de Coco'!