Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Spanish-led ‘Sacred Expedition’ to establish forts and missions in what was then called Alta California ... La Paz on Jan. 9, 1769, with 62 men.

The missions—built between 1769 and 1823 and extending in a chain of 600 miles from Sonoma to San Diego—stand as symbols of California's Spanish colonial past. Pictured is San Miguel's bell tower.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Spanish-led ‘Sacred Expedition’ to establish forts and missions in what was then called Alta California ... La Paz on Jan. 9, 1769, with 62 men.

“I believe what you’re seeing here is a depiction of Native American unhappiness with the Spanish invasion ... Gaspar de Portola in 1769 into what is now present-day California.

“I believe what you’re seeing here is a depiction of Native American unhappiness with the Spanish invasion ... Gaspar de Portola in 1769 into what is now present-day California.

From California to Florida, historical markers and common-place names trace the path of the 16th century Spanish conquistadors and missionaries who explored and settled land inhabited by American ...

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Spanish-led ‘Sacred Expedition’ to establish forts and missions in what was then called Alta California ... La Paz on Jan. 9, 1769, with 62 men.