metal. Then the metal is covered with
copper, varnish, or paint to protect it
from scratches.
#More to explore
Glass • Light • Metal
Missions,
Spanish
Spanish missions were religious communities
in North America. They were set
up by missionaries from Spain during
the 1500s to the 1800s. Missionaries are
people who try to spread their religion.
Only a few
animals, such
as chimpanzees,
can figure
out that
their reflection
in a mirror is
not another
animal.
Toddlers enjoy studying their
reflection in mirrors.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Missions, Spanish 139
The Spanish missionaries wanted to get
Native Americans to practice Roman
Catholicism (a branch of Christianity
practiced in Spain).
The Spanish built missions in what
are now Florida, Texas, and other parts
of the U.S. Southwest. Beginning in
1769, they built 21 missions in what is
now California. The Spanish priest
Junipero Serra set up the first California
mission at the Spanish settlement of San
Diego.
The typical California mission was a
large, square area enclosed by stone
walls. A mission’s church rose high
above the walls. Its giant bells signaled
people to work or to pray.
Many Native Americans lived in or
around the missions. Some converted to
Catholicism. They tended crops and did
other work for the missions. But other
Native Americans refused to convert.
Some fought the Spanish. Many died
from diseases brought by the Spanish.
Mexico (which included California)
won independence from Spain in 1821.
Mexico ended the mission system and
promised to give part of the mission
lands to Native Americans. However,
ranchers and other Mexicans took over
many of the lands.
#More to explore
Americas, Exploration and Settlement of
the • California • Native Americans
California Mission Present Location Year Founded
San Diego de Alcala San Diego 1769
San Carlos Borromeo Carmel* 1770
San Antonio de Padua Jolon 1771
San Gabriel Arcangel San Gabriel 1771
San Luis Obispo de Tolosa San Luis Obispo 1772
San Francisco de Asis San Francisco 1776
San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano 1776
Santa Clara de Asis Santa Clara 1777
San Buenaventura Ventura 1782
Santa Barbara Santa Barbara 1786
La Purisima Concepcion Lompoc 1787
Santa Cruz Santa Cruz 1791
Nuestra Senora de la Soledad Soledad 1791
San Jose Fremont 1797
San Juan Bautista San Juan Bautista 1797
San Miguel Arcangel San Miguel 1797
San Fernando Rey de Espana Mission Hills 1797
San Luis Rey de Francia Oceanside 1798
Santa Ines Solvang 1804
San Rafael Arcangel San Rafael 1817
San Francisco Solano Sonoma 1823
*originally founded in Monterey in 1770 but moved to Carmel in 1771
The Spanish built 21 missions in what is now the U.S. state of California.
140 Missions, Spanish BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Mississippi
The U.S. state of Mississippi got its
name from a Native American word
meaning “great waters” or “father of
waters.” The water described is the great
Mississippi River, which forms the
state’s western border. Mississippi’s nickname
is the Magnolia State. The capital
is Jackson.
Geography
Mississippi is located in the southeastern
United States. The Mississippi River
separates western Mississippi from Louisiana
and Arkansas. Louisiana also borders
Mississippi on the southwest. To
the east is Alabama and to the north is
Tennessee. The Gulf of Mexico lies to
the southeast.
Mississippi is a low and fairly flat
state. It has two major natural
regions: the Mississippi floodplain and
the coastal plain. The Mississippi floodplain,
along the western edge of the
state, was built up by silt carried downstream
by the Mississippi River. The
coastal plain covers most of the state and
consists of smaller regions of hills and
plains.
People
Early settlers in Mississippi were French
and Spanish. In the late 1700s and early
1800s the region was populated by
English, Irish, and Scottish settlers.
Today whites of European descent make
up about three fifths of the population.
About one third of the people are African
Americans. Hispanic Americans,
Asians, and Native Americans make up
smaller groups.
Economy
Mississippi’s soil and climate are well
suited for farming. Cotton and soybeans
A riverboat travels along the Mississippi
River near Natchez, Mississippi.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Mississippi 141
are primary crops. Chickens and cattle
are the most important livestock.
Shrimp and catfish are valuable. The
shrimp are caught in the gulf, but most
of the catfish are raised in artificial
ponds. The state’s many forests provide
trees for wood products such as lumber
and furniture. Other major areas in Mississippi’s
economy include government
operations, social services, commercial
trade, banking, real estate, construction,
and trucking.
History
The Choctaw were the largest Native
American tribe living in the Mississippi
area before Europeans arrived. Spanish
explorer Hernando de Soto visited the
region in 1540. In 1682 the French
explorer Sieur de La Salle claimed the
territory for France. The first
permanent European settlement was
built in 1699.
By 1812 the United States had obtained
all of the land that forms present-day
Mississippi. Mississippi joined the
