Imagine if you can England without the Tower of London, Egypt without the Pyramids, China minus its Great Wall. It's unimaginable, since our impressions of these places are typically intertwined with those historic sites.

California without its missions is equally unthinkable.

Since the Spanish friars and native peoples joined together in the building of these settlements, this land we call California has been shaped and influenced by what they accomplished in that most ambitious undertaking. From the vineyards of Sonoma to the ranches of Santa Barbara to the adobe arcades and red tile roofs of San Diego, the missions have left their mark on who we are and what we have become.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once wrote, "When I want to understand what is happening today or try to decide what will happen tomorrow, I look back."

With your help, this Foundation-by preserving and restoring the California missions-hopes to keep open this unique door to our collective past, and in so doing, to invite this and future generations to step into a new understanding, not just of history, but of human endeavor.

Make our mission your own. Please give your support to the work of this Foundation.

The condition and needs listed on each mission's page was provided by CMF Vice Chair Tina Foss.