On Buzz's second day in San Diego he took a trip to California's first church, founded on July 16, 1769 by Father Junipero Serra. Originally founded closer to the coast, it was relocated on it's present position in 1774. The position brought the church closer to the native Indians of the area, and a "bold" source of water and land considered good for farming.
The mission was the first in a chain of 21 (see California Missions) that stretched from San Diego to San Francisco and was considered the Mother of the Missions. In 1775 the Mission was destroyed by fire when the native Indians attacked and destroyed it. All the inhabitants of the mission escaped to Presidio Hill, where the garrison was housed. Unfortunately Padre Luis Jayme was killed during the attack and become California's first Christian martyr. He is buried in the Mission Sanctuary.
Upon Father Junipero's return in 1776, reconstruction began. Constructed from adobe and tile, in the event of another attack, the new mission was considered fire resistant. The new construction of the church with its ensuing buildings was arranged around in a quadrangle around a patio.
The church continued to grow and by 1795 had baptized over 1400 Indians, owned 50,000 acres of land on which barley, wheat, corn, and beans were grown, maintained herds of livestock that included 20,000 sheep, 10,000 cattle, and 1,250 horses. There were also orchards, vineyards, and vegetable gardens.
In 1803 the church was once again damaged when an earthquake struck. If you look closely at the photo above you can see the buttress like structures that were constructed and helped the church withstand successive earthquakes.
