It was placed at this site to be halfway between Mission San Diego (1st mission) and Mission San Carlos/Carmel (2nd mission). Missions were established to reduce distance, to eventually be only one day's ride (or 3 days walking) apart, mostly for safety reasons. Missions were also established to eventually create towns, solidifying Spanish control of the lands. Planned to originally be the 3rd mission by Father Serra in the Camino Real chain, it wasn't actually founded until the 9th. The Spanish governor of Alta California refused the necessary soldiers, postponing its founding.
That's what they decide back then. It was all country in the 1800's......
Between other missions
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