Here is a basic summary of the Baja California missions… (the second number from El Rosario, on, is the position when included with the Alta California missions). To see photos at each mission (with these facts): https://vivabaja.com/mission-site-photos/
Mission number and common name
Official name
Founding date
Founding Order (and benefactor [sponsor], of that Jesuit mission)
Founding priest(s)
Building dates or site status
Closing date
#1 Loreto
Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó
October 25, 1697
Jesuit (Juan Caballero y Ocio)
Padre Juan María de Salvatierra
Stone church constructed from 1740 to about 1750. New roof and bell tower added in 1955.
Closed in 1829
#2 San Javier
San Francisco Javier de Biaundo
November 1, 1699 (relocated 5 miles south in 1710)
Jesuit (Juan Caballero y Ocio)
Padre Francisco Pícolo
Stone church constructed from 1744 to 1758.
Closed in 1817
#3 Ligüí
San Juan Bautista de Ligüí (de Malibat)
November 1705
Jesuit (Juan Bautista López)
Padre Pedro de Ugarte
No ruins
Abandoned in 1721
#4 Mulegé
Santa Rosalía de Mulegé
November 1705
Jesuit (Nicolás de Arteaga)
Padre Juan Basaldúa
Stone church constructed 1757 to 1766.
Closed in 1828.
#5 Comondú
San José de Comondú
1708 (relocated 22 miles south in 1736)
Jesuit (José de la Puente Peña)
Padre Julián de Mayorga
Stone church constructed 1754 to 1760, demolished in 1936. A side chapel was preserved.
Closed in 1827.
#6 La Purísima
La Purísima Concepción de Cadegomó
January 1, 1720
Jesuit (José de la Puente Peña)
Padre Nicolás Tamaral
No church ruins, two crypts remain to mark the mission.
Closed in 1826.
#7 La Paz
Nuestra Señora del Pilar de la Paz
November 3, 1720 (relocated 50 miles south to Todos Santos in 1748, 1 mile south in 1825)
Jesuit (José de la Puente Peña)
Padre Jaime Bravo, Padre Juan de Ugarte
No ruins remain at La Paz or the second site. Reconstructed, enlarged church at the third site.
Closed in 1840.
#8 Guadalupe
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Huasinapí
December 12, 1720
Jesuit (José de la Puente Peña)
Padre Everarado Helen
Ruins from the 1750s.
Closed in 1795.
#9 Los Dolores
Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (Apaté and Chillá)
August 2, 1721 (relocated 15 miles southwest in 1741 to La Pasión)
Jesuit (José de la Puente Peña)
Padre Clemente Guillén
Ruins at both sites, with only rubble and foundation stones at second site.
Closed in 1768.
#10 Santiago
Santiago el Apóstol Aiñiní
1724 (relocated 2 miles south in 1736)
Jesuit (José de la Puente Peña)
Padre Ignacio Nápoli
Modern church on second site.
Closed in 1795.
#11 San Ignacio
San Ignacio de Kadakaamán
January 20, 1728
Jesuit (Padre Juan Bautista de Luyando)
Padre Juan Luyando
Stone church construction from 1761 to 1767 and again from 1779 to 1786.
Closed in 1840.
#12 San José del Cabo
San José del Cabo Añuití
April 8, 1730 (relocated 3 times)
Jesuit (José de la Puente Peña)
Padre Nicolás Tamaral, Padre José de Echeverría
Modern church on final site.
Closed from 1748 to 1768 and finally in 1840.
#13 Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa de las Palmas
August 1733
Jesuit (María Rosa de la Peña)
Padre Sigusmundo Taraval
No ruins remain. Modern church and playground on the site.
Terminated in 1748 when the older mission at La Paz was relocated to here.
#14 San Luis Gonzaga
San Luis Gonzaga Chiriyaqui
July 14, 1737
Jesuit (Luis de Velasco)
Padre Lambert Hostell
Stone church constructed from 1753 to 1758
Closed on August 20, 1768 by the Spanish government.
#15 Santa Gertrudis
Santa Gertrudis
July 15, 1752
Jesuit (José de la Puente Peña; from the 1748 closed Mission San José del Cabo’s funds)
Padre Georg Retz
Stone church construction completed in 1796
Closed in 1822
#16 San Borja
San Francisco de Borja Adac
September 1, 1762
Jesuit (María de Borja)
Padre Wenceslaus Linck
Adobe ruins from 1759-1773. Stone church constructed to 1801.
Closed in 1818
#17 Calamajué/ Santa María
Nuestra Señora de Columna/ Santa María de los Angeles
October 16, 1766 (relocated 30 miles northwest and renamed on May 26, 1767)
Jesuit (María de Borja)
Padre Victoriano Arnés, Padre Juan Diez
Adobe outlines at 1766 site. Adobe buildings at second site from 1768-1769.
Abandoned in 1774 or 1775.
#18 San Fernando
San Fernando de Velicatá
May 14, 1769
Franciscan
Padre Junípero Serra
Adobe ruins remaining date to the 1790s
Closed in 1822
#19/ #24 El Rosario [#19 of the Baja California missions and #24 of all the California missions]
Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Viñadaco
July 24, 1774 (relocated 2 miles west in 1802)
Dominican
Padre Francisco Galistéo
Adobe ruins at both sites
Closed in 1822
#20/ #25 Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
August 30, 1775 (relocated 2.5 miles east in 1798)
Dominican
Padre Miguel Hidalgo, Padre Manuel Garcia
Adobe ruins at second site.
Closed in 1822
#21/ #29 San Vicente
San Vicente Ferrer
August 27, 1780
Dominican
Padre Miguel Hidalgo, Padre Joaquín Valero
Adobe ruins
Closed in 1829
#22/ #32 San Miguel
San Miguel Arcángel
March 28, 1787 (moved 7 miles west in 1788 and north 8 miles in 1810, then back)
Dominican
Padre Luis Sales
Adobe ruins at the second site.
Abandoned in 1834
#23/ #34 Santo Tomás
Santo Tomás de Aquino
April 24, 1791 (moved 1 mile east in 1794 and 3 more miles east in 1799)
Dominican
Padre José Loriénte
Adobe ruins at final site.
Abandoned in 1849
#24/ #37 San Pedro Mártir
San Pedro Mártir de Verona
April 27, 1794 (relocated 7 miles south after just 3 months)
Dominican
Padre Caietano Pallás, Padre Pablo Grijálva, Padre José Loriénte
Stone footings at first site. Stone walls at second site.
Abandoned in 1811
#25/ #42 Santa Catalina
Santa Catalina Virgen y Mártir
November 12, 1797
Dominican
Padre José Loriénte, Padre Tomás Valdellón
Footing stones
Abandoned in 1839
#26/ #45 Descanso (not a Spanish mission)
El Descanso
1830 (near the 1810 relocated San Miguel mission site)
Dominican
Padre Felix Caballero
Floor and footings exposed and protected next to the modern church.
Abandoned in 1834
#27/ #48 Guadalupe (not a Spanish mission)
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
July 25, 1834
Dominican
Padre Felix Caballero
Footings added at site in 1998 to simulate mission.
Abandoned in 1840.
More details are in the book, Baja California Land of Missions, from www.oldmissions.com, Amazon, or your local book dealer.
