Full name: San Vicente Ferrer
Founding date: August 27, 1780 Mission #21
Catholic Order: Dominican
Founded by: Padre Miguel Hidalgo, Padre Joaquín Valero
Condition: Adobe ruins, stabilized in a park setting.
Closing date: Closed in 1829.
GPS: 31.329972, -116.259167
Access: Mex. #1, south of Ensenada, Km. 88.5, 1 km. west.
Read more: HERE
May 2025 photos by David Kier and Dave W.
June 2017 photos by David Kier
July 2003 photos by Jack Swords
February 1955 photos by Howard Gulick
1949 photo by Marquis McDonald
1930 photos by Margaret Bancroft
June 1926 photos by Peveril Meigs
Site Plans by Peveril Meigs (click to zoom in)
Site Plan from INAH
Regional Map
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#21 San Vicente Ferrer (1780-1829)
Mission San Vicente was founded on August 27, 1780, by Padre Miguel Hidalgo and Padre Joaquin Valero twenty leagues (about fifty miles) north of Santo Domingo. The location was well watered and at an important intersection of routes north to San Diego and east to the Colorado River.
Padre Luis Sáles became resident missionary in 1781 and was there until 1787. A violent smallpox epidemic struck San Vicente in 1781. Padre Sáles wrote that he saw many dead Indians in the fields. Sáles would look into caves only to find children nearly dead from hunger, and not of the smallpox. He and his soldiers brought the children to the mission to be returned to good health. Once the disease ran its course, life began to return to normal. In 1782, San Vicente had a native population of eighty-three and by 1787, the number had grown to 317.
A higher level of hostility by the Indians required the creation of a presidio (fort) at San Vicente. Padre Sáles had the mission complex enclosed by an eight-foot-high adobe wall with towers. Additionally, San Vicente had eight to ten soldiers to stand guard.
Following the Dominican strategy of expansion of the mission system, Padre Sáles made expeditions north to fill the void between San Vicente and San Diego. In 1787, Padre Sáles founded the mission of San Miguel about seventy-five miles north from San Vicente.
Padre José Estévez was in charge of San Vicente Ferrer following Padre Sáles until March 1789. Padre Miguel Gallégo then followed Estévez as resident missionary until July 1794. The church building in 1793 was an adobe structure measuring sixty feet by twenty feet; the roof was made of tules (reeds).
Padre Tomás Valdellón succeeded Padre Gallégo from October 1793 to August 1797. Padre Ramón López replaced Valdellón and made entries in the books of record until April 1806. In 1800, the population included 246 Indians. Most of the neophytes lived in their own rancherías and came to the mission on rotation for two weeks of instruction.
As at the other Dominican missions, many missionaries offered assistance to the resident padre and several Dominicans are included in the record books. Padre Pedro González made some entries in 1808. The resident Dominican at San Vicente from 1808 to 1811 was Padre José Duro, followed by Padre Antonio Fernández, who was there until November 1816. Padre Antonio Menéndez recorded two burials in 1817 and a Padre José Martínez recorded one in November 1817.
In a letter dated October 3, 1822, Padre Pineda of Santo Tomás wrote of the sad state of having so few Dominicans in Northern Baja California: “the Father of San Vicente [Antonio Menéndez] administers what is impossible, San Vicente, Santo Domingo, Rosario and San Fernando.” Padre Felix Caballero was at San Vicente in 1822 and perhaps through to May 27, 1828, when the book of records was closed. Padre Tomás Mansilla was stationed at San Vicente in 1829 with an Indian population of 142. Twenty years later, the number of native Indians had dropped to seven. Most sources give the year 1833 for when the mission was abandoned.
The mission walls have been stabilized and are in a park-like setting with walkways. A staff person is sometimes available to provide commentary and tours of the mission grounds. The mission site is 0.6-mile (1 km.) west of Highway One, at Km 88.5, south of Ensenada.
A footnote: While the Dominicans were establishing their first three missions in northern Baja California, the Franciscans were also busy. In the same period of time, the Franciscans opened three missions in Alta California. This was in addition to the five they already founded in Alta California while still operating the Baja California missions between 1769 and 1773.
Dominican Missionaries recorded at San Vicente:
Miguel Hidalgo (to 1781) August 27, 1780
Joaquín Valero 1780-1783
Luis Sáles 1781-1787
José Estévez 1785-1789
Juan Antonio Formoso 1789
Miguel Gallégo 1789-1794 and 1803
José Loriénte 1790-1791 and 1794-1795
Miguel Abád 1793
Tomás Valdellón 1793-1797 and 1801-1803
Ramón López 1797-1808
Segismundo Fontcubierta 1797 and 1799
Pedro González 1808
José Duro 1808-1811
Antonio Fernández 1811-1822
Félix Caballero 1814 and 1822-1829
José Martínez 1817
Antonio Menéndez 1817-1825
Tomás Mansilla 1829 (from Santo Tomás)
Photos of the next mission, south (Santo Domingo): https://vivabaja.com/santo-domingo/
See the other mission pages: https://vivabaja.com/baja-mission-albums/