Visitas or asistencias were smaller sub-missions of Catholic missions established during the 16th-19th centuries of the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the Philippines. They allowed the Catholic church and the Spanish crown to extend their reach into native populations at a modest cost.
Description Visitas served missions and were much smaller than the main missions with living quarters, workshops and crops in addition to a church. They were typically staffed with a small group of clergymen and a relatively small group of indigenous neophytes in order to maintain the complex.
Particularly strategic visitas were later elevated to the status of a full mission. This typically included an expansion of existing facilities to support a larger clergy and indigenous neophyte population, improvement of basic infrastructure such as roads, and rechristening under a new Catholic saint.
In Spanish Florida, visitas were mission stations without a resident missionary. Church buildings at visitas were simple, or sometimes absent. Visitas were often in satellite villages associated with a town with a doctrina (a mission with one or more resident missionaries).
History The first visita that was founded and documented seems to be a visita established in the village of Soloy (in modern day Florida). Pedro Menéndez de Avilés designated it to become a blockhouse in 1567, but it became a visita to Mission Nombre de Dios in the beginning of the 1600s.
More visitas were established in Spanish Florida during the early 1600s, but the only ones that seem to have been documented were four visitas to Mission San Pedro de Mocama and nine visitas to Mission San Juan del Puerto.
During the early 1600s, visitas were founded in present day New Mexico and Sonora. Almost a century and a half later, the third and final visita in New Mexico was established, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Pojoaque.
The last visita to be founded in Sonora was San Valentin de Bisanig (later renamed San Juan Bisaning) in 1706. Missions stopped being founded after 1772, when Father Juan Crisóstomo Gil de Bernabé founded the mission Carrizal (also known as Carrizel) and was martyred the year later, on March (6, 8, or 9). Father Antonio Caxa designated March 8, 1774 as the day to honor Bernabé.
Starting in 1684 with the founding of Mission San Bruno in Baja California Sur by Spanish admiral Isidro de Atondo y Antillón and Father Eusebio Kino,Burckhalter, David, Sedgwick, Mina, and Fontana, Bernard L. (2013), Baja California Missions, Tucson: University of Arizona Press, p. 17; Bolton, 1936 missions started to be founded in Baja California and Baja California Sur, along with visitas.
The first visita founded there was San Juan Bautista Londó in 1699, which served Mission Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó. The final visita in Baja California and Baja California Sur was established in 1798 as San Telmo, which served Mission Santo Domingo de la Frontera.
In 1687, Father Eusebio Kino started to establish missions in Pimería Alta, as well as visitas. In what is modern day Arizona, he established visitas at Huachuca, Quiburi, and Santa Cruz, as well as one called San Ignacio de Sonoitac. Sonoitac was originally just a ranchería which was said to have a bigger population than the Guevavi, Tumacácori, and Calabazas settlements. A church was built, it became a visita, and it was named San Ignacio de Sonoitac after or around 1737.
In 1692, San Agustín del Tucson was established by Kino as a visita to Mission San Xavier del Bac, but became a mission in 1768 as Mission San Cosme y Damián de Tucsón.
In 1749 and 1750, along the Lower Rio Grande Valley, there was a large colonization effort, mainly led by José de Escandón. The towns of Reynosa, Camargo, Mier, and Guerrero were established in present-day Mexico, along with missions. However, the visitas that were built to serve those missions were established in present-day Texas, technically making them the only visitas established within its current boundaries.
The mission system in California started with the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769 by Father Junipero Serra. The first asistencia in California, Santa Paula, was founded around 1782 to Mission San Buenaventura. More asistencias were established to 6 out of the 21 missions in California.
America The following are lists of visitas in America, sorted by year of establishment.
California +Spanish asistencias in CaliforniaNameImageLocationEstablishedNotesReferencesSanta Paula34.35584, -119.050861782 or afterIt served Mission San Buenaventura.Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles 34.05702, -118.23921784It served Mission San Gabriel Arcángel.San Pedro y San Pablo37.58714, -122.493911786It served Mission San Francisco de Asís.Santa Margarita de Cortona35.40197, -120.61221787It served Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.Santa Gertrudis34.34752, -119.29704Between 1792 and 1809It served Mission San Buenaventura.San Antonio de Pala33.36591, -117.07419June 13, 1816It served Mission San Luis Rey de Francia.San Rafael Arcángel37.97427, -122.527981817It originally served Mission San Francisco de Asís, and later became a mission in 1822.Santa Ysabel33.13057, -116.677861818It served Mission San Diego de Alcalá.Las Flores33.299722, -117.4608331823It served Mission San Luis Rey de Francia.
Arizona +Spanish visitas in ArizonaNameImageLocationEstablishedNotesReferencesWalpiBelow First MesaAround 1629It served Mission San Francisco de Oraibi. The visita name is unknown.San Buenaventura de MishóngnoviBelow Second MesaAround 1629It served Mission San Bartolomé de Shungópove.San Cayetano del TumacácoriOn the east side of the Santa Cruz RiverJanuary 1691It served Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi during all of its years as San Cayetano, and a few years as San José.Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi31.41007, -110.901981691It was originally founded as a mission in 1691, but became a visita of San José de Tumacacori around 1773.San Ignacio de SonoitacNear Patagonia1692It served Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi. San Agustín del Tucson32.21346, -110.987031692It served Mission San Xavier del Bac. In 1768, it was elevated to the status of mission and became the Mission San Cosme y Damián de Tucsón.San Martín de AribacArivaca1695Also known as Santa Gertrudes de Arivaca, it served Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi. Described as being 10 leagues (26 miles) away from Guevavi, which is only a couple miles off from the current measurement of 27.8 miles. San Joaquín de BasosucanBabacomari Ranch1696-1697Also known as San Joaquín de Huachuca. Santa Cruz de GaybanipiteaAlong the San Pedro RiverAround 1731It served Mission Santa María Suamca. Also known as Santa Cruz de Jauanipicta, it, along with Quiburi, was founded along the San Pedro River. Santa Ana de QuiburiAlong the San Pedro RiverAround 1731It served Mission Santa María Suamca. San Cayetano de Calabazas31.45252, -110.959451756It served Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi (and later was an estancia of Mission San José de Tumacácori). It later had a resident priest, meaning it became a mission. It was downgraded back to a visita of Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi in 1784 and abandoned in 1786.Santa Gertrudis de TubacBy 1763It served Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi.
New Mexico +Spanish visitas in New MexicoNameImageLocationEstablishedNotesReferencesSan Buenaventura de Cochití35.608056; -106.345833Early 1600sIt served Mission Santo Domingo, but later became a mission.San Buenaventura de Humanas34.25962, -106.092311626It served Mission San Gregorio de Abó, and by 1629 became an actual mission.San Luis Obispo de Sevilleta1627It was originally a mission, but was later downgraded to a visita of Nuestra Señora de Perpetuo Socorro. Abandoned in 1680.Santa Clara35.96783, -106.087961628It first served Mission San Juan Bautista de los Caballeros. It was destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt and then rebuilt to serve Mission San Ildefonso. It was remodeled around 1900 with a new roof which caused it to collapse in 1905. Rebuilt again around 1914 and remodeled in the 1960s.Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Pojoaque Around 1765 It served San Francisco de Nambé.
Texas +Spanish visitas in TexasNameImageLocationEstablishedNotesReferencesSan Agustín de Laredo (Camargo)26.37135, -98.85631749It served Mission San Agustín de Laredo, which was located in Camargo.San Joaquin del Monte (Reynosa)26.10515, -98.260461749It served Mission San Joaquín del Monte, which was located in Reynosa.La Purísima Concepción (Mier)26.46043, -99.029661750It served Mission La Purísima Concepción, which was located in Mier.San Francisco Solano de Ampuero (Revilla)26.90166, -99.266781750It served Mission San Francisco Solano de Ampuero, which was located in present-day Guerrero.
Spanish Florida +Known Spanish visitas in Spanish FloridaNameLocationEstablishedNotesReferencesSoloyFlorida1567Originally a blockhouse, but by the beginning of the 1600s, became a visita of Mission Nombre de Dios. It was two leagues north of the mission.San José de Zapala31.51544, -81.24218By 1597It served either Mission Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Tolomato or Mission Santa Clara de Tupiqui. It had a convent by 1616, and it became a mission.TocoyFloridaBy 1602It served Mission San Sebastián. It was around five leagues due west of St. Augustine.Santa María de la Sena Amelia Island1602It served Mission San Pedro de Mocama. It was also called Santa Catalina de Santa María and Santa Catalina or Santa María de Guale. It later moved to St. Augustine and was called Santa Catarina de Guale. San Antonio (de Aratabo/Arapaha) Possibly Georgia1602It served Mission San Pedro de Mocama. Later (probably around 1610), Fray Pedro Viniegra resided in the visita, meaning it later became a mission. Chica Faya la Madalena Possibly GeorgiaBy 1602It served Mission San Pedro de Mocama. Said to be located alongside San Antonio. VeracruzFlorida1602It served Mission San Juan del Puerto. It was one-half league away from the mission.(San Francisco de) Molo/MoloaFloridaBy 1602It served Mission San Juan del Puerto. It was five leagues from the mission. It most likely gained a convent by 1604, and definitely had one by 1610, when Fray Pedro Bermejo was noted to be the "definitor guardian", meaning it later became a mission.PotayoFloridaBy 1602It served Mission San Juan del Puerto. It was four leagues from the mission. San MateoFloridaBy 1602It served Mission San Juan del Puerto. It was two leagues from the mission. The region near the site had a fort which secured the entrance of the St. Johns River. San PabloFloridaBy 1602It served Mission San Juan del Puerto. It was one league and a half away from the mission. HicachiricoFlorida1602It served Mission San Juan del Puerto. It was one league from the mission. ChiniscaFloridaBy 1602It served Mission San Juan del Puerto. It was one league and a half from the mission.Carabay/Sarabay FloridaBy 1602It served Mission San Juan del Puerto. It was a fourth of a league from the mission.EspogacheGeorgiaBy 1603It served Mission Santo Domingo de Talaxe (also known as Santo Domingo de Asao and Santo Domingo de Talaje). It eventually became a mission center.OlataycoPossibly GeorgiaBy 1604It served Mission San Pedro de Mocama. San Francisco de Potano29.72993, -82.441791607In 1607, Fray Prieto visited San Francisco de Potano, starting the construction of a church. Prieto later moved to San Miguel, and left San Francisco de Potano as a visita. Prieto traveled daily from his residence to minister to the Potano.