San Diego
In May 1769, Gaspar de Portola established the Fort Presidio of San Diego on a hill near the San Diego River. It was the first settlement by Europeans in what is now the state of California. In July of the same year, Mission San Diego de Alcala was founded by Franciscan friars under Junipero Serra. By 1797, the mission boasted the largest native population in Alta California, with over 1,400 neophytes living in and around the mission proper. Mission San Diego was the southern anchor in California of the historic mission trail El Camino Real. Both the Presidio and the Mission are National Historic Landmarks.
Who did Junipero Serra commission to found the Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769?
Franciscan friars
In July of the same year, Mission San Diego de Alcala was founded by Franciscan friars under Junipero Serra.
San Diego