ook charge of
the Lower California Missions and established one other, that of San
Fernando de Velicata, besides building a stone chapel in the mining camp
of San Antonio Real, situated near Ventana Bay.

The Dominicans now followed, and the Missions of El Rosario, Santo
Domingo, Descanso, San Vicenti Ferrer, San Miguel Fronteriza, Santo
Tomas de Aquino, San Pedro Martir de Verona, El Mision Fronteriza de
Guadalupe, and finally, Santa Catarina de los Yumas were founded. This
last Mission was established in 1797, and this closed the active epoch
of Mission building in the peninsula, showing twenty-three fairly
flourishing establishments in all.

It is not my purpose here to speak of these Missions of Lower
California, except in-so-far as their history connects them with the
founding of the _Alta_ California Missions. A later chapter will show
the relationship of the two.

The Mission activity that led to the founding of Missions in Lower
California had already long been in exercise in New Mexico. The reports
of Marcos de Nizza had fired the hearts of the zealous priests as
vigorously as they had excited the cupidity of the _Conquistadores_.
Four Franciscan priests, Marcos de Nizza, Antonio Victoria, Juan de
Padilla and Juan de la Cruz, together with a lay brother, Luis de
Escalona, accompanied Coronado on his expedition. On the third day out
Fray Antonio Victoria broke his leg, hence was compelled to return, and
Fray Marcos speedily left the expedition when Zuni was reached and
nothing was found to satisfy the cupidity of the Spaniards. He was
finally permitted to retire to Mexico, and there died, March 25, 1558.

For a time Mission activity in New Mexico remained dormant, not only on
account of intense preoccupation in other fields, but because the
political leaders seemed to see no purpose in attempting the further
subjugation of the country to the north (now New Mexico and Arizona).
But about forty years after Coronado, another explorer was filled with
adventurous zeal, and he applied for a charter or royal permission to
enter the country, conquer and colonize it for the honor and glory of
the king and his own financial reward and honorable renown. This leader
was Juan de Onate, who, in 1597, set out for New Mexico accompanied by
ten missionary padres, and in September of that year established the
second church in what is now United States territory. Juan de Onate was
the real colonizer of this new country. It was