But there is a third noteworthy historic park in Old Town Monterey! Near the Portolá statue and hotel, you find the entrance to the Monterey State Historic Park. And that's where you can find a
The Cathedral that started as a Spanish mission
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By Miguel Pérez
Originally, it was the chapel of Mission San Carlos Borromeo, the second Franciscan mission in California, established in Monterey by Padre Junípero Serra in 1770. But when the mission was moved to Carmel one year later, the San Carlos Cathedral remained as an active Catholic church in Monterey. It is also known as the Royal Presidio Chapel because, once the mission moved away in the fall of 1771, it continued to serve the Monterey Presidio and community. It still does! |
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The original 1770-71 wood and adobe church was destroyed by a fire in 1789 and was replaced by the current Spanish colonial sandstone Cathedral between 1791 and 1795, which stands now as oldest continuously operating parish and the oldest stone building in California. It is one of the oldest operating cathedrals in the United States!
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The mission's relocation some six miles south to a site near the Carmel River, in present-day Carmel-by-the Sea, was caused by the need for a more sustainable location for agriculture. But friction between Serra and Military Governor Pedro Fages reportedly could have also influenced Serra's decision to relocate. Fages served as governor of Alta California while he was based at the Monterey Presidio and Serra decided to move the mission father away from the presidio.
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But not too far. By today's travel standards, it's less than a 15 minute drive. (See map).
Mission Carmel turned out to be Father Serra's favorite mission, his home base, the one where he died on August 28, 1784 at the age of 70 after starting California's first nine missions between 1769 and 1782. His remains rest under the main altar of the Mission Carmel Basilica. Fray Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, who succeeded Serra as president of the Franciscan missions and opened nine additional neophyte communities, is buried next to Serra. My Great Hispanic American History Tour is going there next. Are you coming? |
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Mission Carmel: Site of a saint's grave
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By Miguel Pérez
They have as many similarities as they have differences, and that's perhaps what makes California's Franciscan missions so fascinating. Yet only Mission Carmel has the distinction of hosting the gravesite of a saint! El Padre Junípero Serra, canonized by Pope Francis in 2015 for his saintly work as the founder of the California missions, is buried beneath the altar of this mission, where he died in 1784. |
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"Apóstol de California," affirms his epitaph. (See photo).
This is San Carlos Borromeo, the mission that began in Monterey and was relocated here, present-day Carmel-by-the-Sea and became known as Mission Carmel. It's the second of nine missions established by Serra and now remarkably beautiful tourist attraction, with many artifacts that have been preserved for centuries, including Serra's own Bible! |
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When you come here, get ready to go back to school. Other missions have lost much their artifacts, mostly to earthquakes, fires and looters, but here you need time to absorb an impressive wealth of history, thanks to numerous educational exhibits.
Here you see Serra's room and even his death bed! Here you also visit the altar grave of |
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The port of entry that became a museum
EN ESPAñOL: El puerto de entrada que se convirtió en museo
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By Miguel Pérez
Back when California was part of Mexico, Monterey's Custom House was the main port of entry on our west coast. Now part of the Monterey State Historic Park, it serves as a unique museum, using ship cargo artifacts to take you back to the 1830s. Amid the ropes and barrels, there are interactive displays telling you the story of this building's significant past past. After all, the Custom House is State Historic Landmark No. 1, the oldest government building in California! |
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But there are other historic attractions in this park. Here you can visit several homes from that time period.
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A historial marker facing the bay encourages visitors to "Look out upon these waters," and then lists the times when this small harbor has made history.
It notes that in the harbor's recorded history: • "Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sighted the "Bay of Pines" on Nov. 17, 1542." • "Sebastian Vizcaíno was first to touch land Dec. 16, 1602. He claimed the land for Spain and named the Harbor for the Viceroy of Mexico, the Count of Monterey." • "June 3, 1770 is Monterey's birthday. On that day Gaspar de Portola, the soldier, and Padre Junipero Serra, Father of California Missions, joined from land and sea to form the first settlement." • "For 76 years this was the capital of Spanish and Mexican California. Here was the Royal Chapel, the Presidio, and the only Custom House. They still stand nearby." • "In 1818, (Hipólito) Bouchard, the Argentine privateer, sailed into the Bay and sacked the town." • "In 1842, Commodore T. Ap Catesby Jones, U.S. Navy, under the mistaken belief that war had been declared against Mexico, seized the port but withdrew after three days." • "On July 7, 1846, war actually having been declared, Commander John Drake Sloat, commanding a squadron of three ships, raised the 28 star flag of the United States over the Custom House, taking possession of a great Western territory, now forming all or part of seven states." • Three years later, when California held its first constitutional convention in Monterey in September and October of 1849, before the state was admitted to the Union, many convention delegates arrived by ship. • "On these sands in 1879 walked Robert Louis Stevenson, dreaming the plot for "Treasure Island". • "From 1854 until the early 1900's, Monterey was a whaling port and the beaches were white with whalebone. Sails came to dot the bay. Later, in the 1930's, here was the greatest sardine fishery in the world." The marker is a recap of many of the sites already reviewed in this series. But it mentions "The Royal Chapel," only briefly, Look out again upon these waters. Monterey Harbor is small but it has made history. |
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Rejecting Portolá is denying California history!
EN ESPAñOL: ´Rechazar a Portolá es negar la historia de California!
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If you follow museum exhibits and historical park markers, sometimes California's Hispanic history can seem a little contradictory and/or controversial, especially when you are on a road trip!
Depending on where you are, a historic figure can be either a hero or a villain. Their monuments can either be there or "no longer there!" Just finding them can be an adventure. You have to do your own checking. At least I do! In San Francisco, I climbed to the 1,200-foot summit of Sweeney Ridge to get to the “San Francisco Bay Discovery Site,” only to find that the monument recognizing Gaspar de Portolá's great discovery had been vandalized and his name had been chiseled off. I also learned that in the nearby City of Pacifica a Portolá statue was removed by local politicians trying to erase their own history in 2024. |
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So I didn't bother to go there. Why should I recognize them if they don't recognize their own Hispanic history?
But in Monterey, I was pleased to find two Portolá monuments and even a hotel named after him. (See photos). There is a Portolá statue outside the Portolá Hotel and Spa, and, at another park, a plaque marking the spot where he founded the presidio and the pueblo of Monterey. The plaque is at the Lower Presidio State Historic Park, already reviewed in a previous part of this series, in a area with monuments also recognizing Father Junípero Serra and explorer Sebastian Vizcaíno. So who was Portolá? Here's some background for those don't know: He established both San Diego and Monterey and he discovered San Francisco Bay. After establishing Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first mission and first European settlement in Alta California with Father Serra in 1769, Captain Portolá set out to find the bay Vizcaíno had endorsed so enthusiastically some 168 years earlier. But his overland expedition inadvertently missed the bay altogether, going on further north to discover the much bigger San Francisco Bay! Back in San Diego a year later, Portolá organized a second expedition to find Monterey Bay, and Father Serra agree to meet him there by sea. They met each other at the bay on ????? And they believed the found the oak tree where Vizcaíno had asked his Portolá establish the presidio and Serra established a mission. Although it was Cabrillo who discovered the bay, it was Vizcaíno A statue of Gaspar de Portolá stands in his hometown of Balaguer.
The statue was vandalized in October 2022 and subsequently removed by the City Council to be cleaned. The plan was to clean it and then put it back in place. However, there is no information available to indicate the statue has been reinstalled. But in California the bar of /// is set a lot lower. The statue of Gaspar de Portolá was controversial because it honored a figure of Spanish colonialism, which led to the oppression, dispossession, and devastation of California's Indigenous people. For many Native Californians, the statue was a painful reminder of this violent and racist history. Compared to Juan de Oñate, who reportedly was much more abusive in his treatment of the natives of New Mexico, Portolá' gets very harsh treatment in California. In comparison to new mexico and If you are reading this in the United States, you might be surprised to learn that Portolá statues have been vandalized in Spain too. El Castillo I
Protecting the Harbor/Defender of Old Monterey El Castillo protected Monterey Harbor during the Spanish era. Captain Gaspar de Portolá founded Monterey, the capital of Spain's North American colony on the Pacific Coast-Alta-California, in 1770. Across the harbor from this hill, at a distance of "three gunshots from the beach," Portolá established a fortified settlement, the Presidio de Monterey, which was primarily an administrative outpost conjoined to the Mission San Carlos. |
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Where Balboa is missing, I west searching fot Sebastian
overwhelmed El Castillo and sacked the town.
When the Argentine Flag Flew Above Monterey
was born near St. Tropez, France in 1780.
In 1980, Argentina placed this monument in celebration of his 200th birthday.
overwhelmed El Castillo and sacked the town.
When the Argentine Flag Flew Above Monterey
was born near St. Tropez, France in 1780.
In 1980, Argentina placed this monument in celebration of his 200th birthday.
Only a few yards away, an adjoining smaller park marks the site
Born in Majorca, Spain, where he was ordained as a Franciscan priest in 1737, Serra emigrated to Mexico to become a missionary in 1749. And in 1768 he was appointed to lead an expedition to spread the Catholic Church to Alta California, "As part of the Spanish Empire's effort to solidify Spanish rule on the Pacific coast of North America," according to the monument's historical marker.
Born in Majorca, Spain, where he was ordained as a Franciscan priest in 1737, Serra emigrated to Mexico to become a missionary in 1749. And in 1768 he was appointed to lead an expedition to spread the Catholic Church to Alta California, "As part of the Spanish Empire's effort to solidify Spanish rule on the Pacific coast of North America," according to the monument's historical marker.
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They are all very similar, and yet very different in some ways. California's 21 Spanish missions have 21 fascinating histories. But they depend on when the misions began, how long they survived, where they are located and who lived there.
As I visit several missions in my next few articles, I will try to point out their fascinating similarities and differences, which is what I love about them. After visiting Mission San Francisco de Asis (Dolores) in my first mission article of this road trip, the right thing do is go north across the Golden Gate Bridge |
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Even when there was no baseball game
I came to see the Hispanic stars!
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The San Francisco Giants were not playing that day, so I figured that it would be easier to go Oracle Stadium to visit their Hispanic stars.
I know. That sounds crazy, right? But it was their stars of the past that I intended to visit, and the Giants have a great way of immortalizing them, with impressive plaques and statues. outside of the stadium. And I was right, without the game crowd, it was easy to visit and take selfies with Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, But it's not always good. While today's Hispanic heroes get this kind of recognition, some of those from the "Early Days" get their statues removed. |
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There are lessons still to be learned in 'The Oldest Wooden School House in the U.S.A.' |
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Todavía quedan lecciones por aprender en “La escuela de madera más antigua de Estados Unidos” |
There are lessons still to be learned in
'The Oldest Wooden School House in the U.S.A.'
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By Miguel Pérez
The small building is as old as it looks. Even in historic St. Augustine, as you walk among old structures, this one really stands out. It looks so ancient that you wonder whether its even safe to go inside. This is "The oldest wooden school house in the U.S.A." It has been here since 1777 and there are still lessons to be learned here! In the heart of the St. Augustine historic district,
This was the home Juan Genopoly, who turned a portion of his house into a classroom for the children of the Minorcan community that had settled on the north end of George Street, just inside the city gate, in St. Augustine since 1777. Genopoly started his school when he bought the house in 1780, and since they were in British occupied Florida, the children were taught English too! Two of Genopoly's own four children went on to also teach there, and classes continued until 1864! But if this is the oldest school house, you ask, where is the oldest house? We are going there next! |
The Oldest Wooden School House dates back to the early 18th century and is located on St. George Street by the City Gate. Visitors to the Oldest Wooden School House can tour the property and become acquainted with the daily life of colonial school children.
The Oldest Wooden School House History No wooden structures in St. Augustine built prior to the year 1702 still stand because the British burned Spanish St. Augustine to the ground in that year. Tax records indicate that the wooden school house was present in 1716 and was built for the Genoply family. Located in the "Minorcan Quarter," the original structure was a one-room, single-story building with a detached kitchen where food was made for the family to eat. Kitchens were commonly detached in those times to keep the house cool during the hot summer months and to prevent a fire that started in the kitchen from spreading to the house. A privy with a privacy wall was also kept away from the house, and so was the well. The house's exterior was made out of bald cypress and red cedar logs bound together by wood pins and iron spikes, all made by hand. Juan Genoply, one of the original inhabitants of the house, also became the first school teacher. After marrying, Juan Genoply added the second story and transformed the house into a co-ed school in 1788. The second story provided Juan and his family the seclusion they needed to separate his public and private life. The Oldest Wooden School House Today Visitors can view copies of old textbooks and school supplies from the 18th century, and tour the kitchen and gardens, where a fruitful pecan tree has been growing for an estimated 250 years. The house has a large chain wrapped around the exterior. The chain was added in 1937 in order to hold the house in place in case of hurricane-force winds and weather. The house is located in the shopping district of St. George Street. For additional information, call (904) 824-0192.
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The Fountain of Youth:
Much more truthful than it used to be
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So there I was, watching people seek miracles at the Fountain of Youth, when I overheard a tour guide say something that caught my attention,
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Miami — 1. Add to Varela
3. Add to Little Havana
A. Jose Marti Park
B. Miami High
Searching for Juan Ponce de Leon on the west coast of La Florida
St. Augustine — 1. Fountain of Youth
2. Older Schoolhouse
3. Add to Father Pedro Camps Monument
4. Add to Cathedral of St. Augustine
5. Add to Varela Statue
6. Add to Downtown
A. Ponce De Leon statue
B. Government House Museum
C. Plaza de la Constitution
D. Historic homes
E. Columbia Restaurant
Georgia — Fort Carolina National Memorial
Two Jamestowns
Baltimore — Marti Monument
Philadelphia — Don Quixote Plaza,
Puerto Rican Migration Garita.
3. Add to Little Havana
A. Jose Marti Park
B. Miami High
Searching for Juan Ponce de Leon on the west coast of La Florida
St. Augustine — 1. Fountain of Youth
2. Older Schoolhouse
3. Add to Father Pedro Camps Monument
4. Add to Cathedral of St. Augustine
5. Add to Varela Statue
6. Add to Downtown
A. Ponce De Leon statue
B. Government House Museum
C. Plaza de la Constitution
D. Historic homes
E. Columbia Restaurant
Georgia — Fort Carolina National Memorial
Two Jamestowns
Baltimore — Marti Monument
Philadelphia — Don Quixote Plaza,
Puerto Rican Migration Garita.
there are cannons, statues, historical parks
recognizing the site where Spain
— "unable to stem the tide of American expansionism," according to the Wentworth exhibit — formally transferred Florida to the United States for a measly $5 million in 1821. Heavily in debt and at the risk of losing Florida without compensation, Spain had no choice but to accept the deal.
recognizing the site where Spain
— "unable to stem the tide of American expansionism," according to the Wentworth exhibit — formally transferred Florida to the United States for a measly $5 million in 1821. Heavily in debt and at the risk of losing Florida without compensation, Spain had no choice but to accept the deal.
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The Pensacola Museum of History also covers other parts of Spanish Florida, from the founding of St. Augustine to the numerous Spanish missions established all other northern Florida and present-day Georgia from 1565 to 1763.
Here you see a diorama of conquistador Pedro Menendez de Aviles and his men as they arrived at a Native American village in 1565, on their way to establishing St. Augustine a little further north and that "they were greeted by the all, handsome, Native American Timucans." You learn that the Timucans were friendly to the Spaniards and that "Chief Seloy gave them permission to use the large circular village council house as their temporary fort." |
Diorama of Pedro Menendez de Aviles arriving at Native American village
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Tallahassee
De Soto Winter encampment??
De Soto Winter encampment??
There are few living descendants of the mission Indian populations
Surprisingly, while Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor are known for Ponce de Leon's demise in 1521, one historical marker recognizes the death of one of his men during his 1513 expedition. And while the sailor's name is not mentioned, the marker makes a significant statement recognizing the race of the conquistadores: "First White Man Dies in America." (See photo).
