Mission San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicuñer was founded on January 7, 1781, by the Spanish Franciscan friar

Francisco Garcés Francisco Hermenegildo Tomás Garcés (April 12, 1738 – July 18, 1781) was a Spanish Franciscan friar who served as a missionary and explorer in the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain. He explored much of the southwestern region of North Amer ...

, to protect the Anza Trail where it forded the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

, between the Mexican provinces of

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

and New Navarre. The settlement, located about northeast of

Yuma Crossing Yuma Crossing is a site in Arizona and California that is significant for its association with transportation and communication across the Colorado River. It connected New Spain and Las Californias in the Spanish Colonial period in and also duri ...

in present-day

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, was not part of the Spanish California missions chain, but was administered as a part of the Arizona missions chain.

History

The Mission site and nearby ''pueblo'' were inadequately supported, and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

colonists seized the best lands, destroyed the Indians' crops, and generally ignored the rights of the local natives. R. Douglas Hurt, 2002, ''The Indian frontier, 1763–1846'', UNM Press,
Google Books excerpt
/ref> In retaliation, the

Quechan The Quechan ( Quechan: ''Kwatsáan'' 'those who descended'), or Yuma, are a Native American tribe who live on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation on the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California just north of the Mexican border. Despite ...

s (''Yuma'') and their allies attacked and destroyed the installation and the neighboring

Mission Puerto de Purísima Concepción Mission Puerto de Purísima Concepción was founded near what is now Yuma, Arizona, United States, on the California side of the Colorado River, in October 1780, by the Franciscan missionary Francisco Garcés. The settlement was not part of the C ...

during a three-day period, from July 17–19, 1781. Some 50 Spaniards, including Father Garcés (along with three other friars and Captain

Fernando Rivera y Moncada Fernando Javier Rivera y Moncada (c. 1725 – July 18, 1781) was a soldier of the Spanish Empire who served in The Californias (''Las Californias''), the far northwest frontier of New Spain. He participated in several early overland exploration ...

) were killed, and the women and children taken captive. The Indians' victory closed this crossing and seriously crippled future communications between Las Californias province and

colonial Mexico Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French colonial architecture * Spanish colonial architecture Automobiles * C ...

, both within the

Viceroyalty of New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

. Today, only a California Historical Marker identifies the site. The marker is located on Imperial County Road S24, 0.2 mi W of the intersection of Levee Road and Mehring Road/11th St, and 4.4 mi NE of

Bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...

, in southeastern Imperial County.

California Historical Landmark

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

number 921 reads: :''NO. 921 SITE OF MISSION SAN PEDRO Y SAN PABLO DE BICUNER – To protect the Anza Trail where it forded the Colorado River, the Spanish founded a pueblo and mission nearby on January 7, 1781. Threatened with the loss of their land, the Quechans (Yumas) attacked this strategic settlement on July 17, 1781. The Quechan victory closed this crossing and seriously crippled future communications between upper California and Mexico.''californiahistoricallandmarks.com Landmark chl-921
/ref>

References

External links

Missions of the Colorado River

Discovery of California

Virtual Tour of California Missions

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mission San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicuner San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicu San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicu California Historical Landmarks Pre-statehood history of Arizona 1781 establishments in New Spain 1781 establishments in The Californias National Register of Historic Places in Imperial County, California Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in California

History

California Historical Landmark

See also

References

External links