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A resource website for teachers and students researching the California missions.

Information about all 21 California missions.

"While there were many different Indians in California at the time of the missions; the Chumash were the most widespread. They numbered in the tens of thousands and their territory spread from present-day Malibu to present-day southern Monterey County. To the east they extended all the way to the Carrizo Plain of present-day Kern County. To the west, the Chumash territory spread to the coast and further, out to the Channel Islands, west of today's Santa Barbara. Their land comprised 7,000+ square miles. [Note: The large territory the Chumash occupied was largely defined by the Spanish. In fact, that territory encompassed approximately six different, but similar, groups with six different language.]"

"The Chumash Indian homeland lies along the coast of California, between Malibu and Paso Robles, as well as on the Northern Channel Islands. Before the Mission Period, the Chumash lived in 150 independent villages with a total population of about 18,000 people. In different parts of the region, people spoke different but related languages. "

"The Tongva people are also known as the Gabrielinos. They received this name from the Spanish after the San Gabriel Mission . It has been proven that the Gabrielinos inhabited the area for at least 7000 years. Their land area extended about 9000 square miles. They preferred to live on high ground under the shelter of Oak trees. They also lived on the coastal plains, and near the banks of the coastal rivers."