The California missions were made by Spain and were located in Alta California, now known as just California. The purpose of these missions were to bring Christianity to the natives. Many of the cities you see today in California are named after the missions. Spain sent priests and soldiers to build the missions. The leader of the priests was Junipero Serra. They often used violence to force the natives into helping to build their missions. Other times they would bribe the natives, promising to give them spices and money. The natives were forced to stay at the missions until their training was complete. As a result, many natives tried to escape. These natives were brought back to the mission, beaten, and punished. The soldiers would often beat the natives in public to show the natives what would be done if they didn't follow the rules. The end of the mission era in Alta California was after Mexico was finally free from Spain. Mexico decided that they would close down the missions. Today, the missions of California are used as wedding places, churches, and museums.