Where California's towering redwoods meet the Pacific ocean, Padre LasuŽn founded the eleventh mission, dedicating it to the Holy Cross. The site was chosen for its immense beauty, rather than for its proximity to native populations—there were few, or for its position along the Camino Real—it was miles off the beaten path. Mission Santa Clara, located nearby, was much more successful. California governor Diego Borica established a pueblo of Spanish settlers and convicts on the Santa Cruz property, ignoring a law that gave the missions a league of land to themselves. As a result, the mission was plundered by the nearby pueblo's civilian population in 1818 and never recovered. It was one of the first missions to be secularized, its land given to influential families instead of the neophyte native population.

Twelfth Mission Built

Founded:
September 25, 1791

Location:
126 High Street
Santa Cruz

MAP TO MISSION &
DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS

Mission Scrapbook

LIMITED FINE ART EDITION
"Santa Cruz View"