Discusses the Mission San Juan Capistrano from its founding in 1776 to the present day, including the reasons for Spanish colonization in California and the effects of colonization on the Acagchemem, or Juaneño, Indians.

The legendary swallows aren't the only annual returnees to San Juan Capistrano. The great coastal mission draws more than 500,000 visitors a year into the southern reaches of Orange County. The most famous of all the missions in the California system established in the 18th century by Franciscan friar Junipero Serra, Mission San Juan Capistrano still contains the Serra Chapel, the oldest church in California, and the only building still standing where the good padre celebrated mass. But San Juan Capistrano is more than its well-known mission. Its epic story encompasses the rancho days and land barons, California statehood, the arrival of the San Diego Freeway in 1958, city incorporation in 1961, and recent growth from 10,000 residents in 1974 to 34,000 in 2004.

This book is the story of California's Mission San Juan Capistrano, the people who built it, the people served by it, and the tens of thousands of people who visit it each year.Author Kathleen Walker and photographer Marc Muench celebrate the soul of this mission, and relate in words and pictures the mission's place in history, art, and architecture. The missions of the Southwest all showcase their own sense of spirit and place and time. in Mission San Jan Capistrano find stories and myths from history, along side observations of people at work in the mission today.

Mission San Juan Capistrano has long been called "The Jewel of the Missions." This book captures the history of the mission from its founding in 1776 by Father (now Saint) Junipero Serra to the present day. Between the pages, you will learn about many features of the mission and discover why it continues to be a local treasure and a favorite of tourists. Lorna Collins is a local author who has co-written a novel about Mission San Juan Capistrano called "The Memory Keeper." She and her husband, Larry K. Collins, are currently working on the sequel to the novel to be titled, "Becoming the Jewel." Robert L. Schwenck is an award-winning local artist, who has been painting the mission and the town of San Juan Capistrano for many years. His love of the city and its historic buildings is evident in his work.

Eleanor "Groovy" Robinson loves cooking and plans to go to culinary school just as soon as she's old enough. But even Groovy's thoughtfully—planned menus won't fix the things that start to go wrong the year she turns eleven—suddenly, her father is in jail, her best friend's long-absent mother reappears, and the swallows that make their annual migration to her hometown arrive surprisingly early. As Groovy begins to expect the unexpected, she learns about the importance of forgiveness, understands the complex stories of the people around her, and realizes that even an earthquake can't get in the way of a family that needs to come together. Kathryn Fitzmaurice's lovely debut novel is distinctively Californian in its flavor. Her rich characters and strong sense of place feel both familiar and fresh at first meeting—and worth revisiting, again and again.

This books taps into the powerful imagery of trees to suggest ways that one may sink roots into God's Word and grow strong branches that bear the fruits of faith.

Accurate renderings of 21 structures: San Diego de Alcalá, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Clara de Asís, San José de Guadalupe, Santa Cruz, many more, plus realistic vignettes of mission life. Captions.