Father Antonio Cruzado (1725 - October 12, 1804) was a Franciscan missionary in California. He was born in

Alcaracejos Alcaracejos is a city located in Los Pedroches comarca, province of Córdoba, Spain. According to the 2006 census ( INE), the city had a population of 1,485. See also *Los Pedroches Los Pedroches is a natural region and comarca in Córdoba P ...

and received his religious training in

Córdoba, Spain Córdoba (; ),, Arabic: قُرطبة DIN: . or Cordova () in English, is a city in Andalusia, Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. It is the third most populated municipality in Andalusia and the 11th overall in the country. The ...

. After serving in Mexico for two decades he was sent to California in 1772. There he was at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel until his death at age 79. He is buried at the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. Father Antonio Cruzado is credited with planting California's first orange grove in 1804.

References

Spanish Franciscans Spanish missions in California {{RC-bio-stub