Visitas

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.
File:Mission San Antonio de Pala - 01.JPG|thumb|San Antonio de Pala, an asistencia of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, is located in Pala, California
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.

History

The first visita that was founded and documented seems to be a visita established in the village of Soloy. 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 in 1706. Missions stopped being founded after 1772, when Father Juan Crisóstomo Gil de Bernabé founded the mission Carrizal and was martyred the year later, on March. 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, 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 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

Arizona

New Mexico

Texas

Spanish Florida

Mexico

The following are lists of visitas in Mexico, sorted by year of establishment.

Baja California

Baja California Sur

Sonora

Name	Image	Location	Established	Notes	Reference
Concepción Curimpo			After 1614	It served Mission Natividad Navojoa.
Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Tepahui			After 1614	It served Mission San Andrés Conicari.
San Ignacio de Tesia			Around 1614	It served Mission Santa Catarina de Camoa.
Espíritu Santo Cócorit			Before 1617	Established as a mission some time before 1617. After 1617, it served Mission Santa Rosa de Bácum.
Trinidad Potam			1617	It served Mission Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Rahum.
San Francisco Xavier de Cumuripa			1619	It originally served Mission San Francisco de Borja de Tecoripa. Later it became a headquarters mission with two visitas.
San Francisco Buenavista			1619	It served Mission San Francisco Xavier de Cumuripa. In 1765, a presidio was built here, as well as a new church whose construction started in 1772. The visita is now underwater.
San José de Pimas			1620	It originally served Mission San Francisco de Borja de Tecoripa. It became a headquarters mission in 1771.
San Ignacio de Suaqui			1620	It served Mission San Francisco de Borja de Tecoripa.
San Joaquin y Santa Ana de Nuri			1622	It served Mission Santa Maria de Movas.
San Ignacio Bacanora			1627	It originally served Mission San Francisco Xavier de Arivechi, but by 1793, it served Mission Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Sahuaripa.
Santa Rosalía de Onapa			1627	It served Mission San Francisco Xavier de Arivechi. It eventually became a mission with two/three visitas.
Pondia			1627	It served Mission San Francisco Xavier de Arivechi.
San Francisco de Soyopa			1628	It served Mission San Ignacio de Ónavas. The visita is also known as San Joseph de Soyopa
Santa María del Populo de Tónichi			1629	It served Mission San Ignacio de Ónavas. The visita is also known as Nuestra Señora del Populo de Tonintzi
Nuestra Senora Asuncion Alamos			1629	It served Mission San José de Mátape.
Santa Cruz de Nácori			1629	It served Mission San José de Mátape.
Santa Rosalia			1637	It served Mission San Miguel de Ures.
Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de Baviácora			1638	It was originally founded as a head mission, with a visita at San Pedro Aconchi. Later, it became a visita of Aconchi.
Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Nacámeri			1638	It served Mission San Miguel de Ures, Mission Nuestra Señora del Populo del Seri, and Mission Nuestra Señora de la Ascención de Opodepe, in chronological order.
San Pedro Aconchi			1639	It was initially founded as a visita of Mission Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de Baviácora. Over time, that mission became its visita.
San Lorenzo de Güepaca			1639	Also known as San Lorenzo de Huépac, it had a visita at Nuestra Señora de los Remedios de Banámichi. Later, it became a visita of Banámichi.
Nuestra Señora de los Remedios de Beramitzi			1639	Also known as Nuestra Señora de los Remedios de Banámichi. It originally served Mission San Lorenzo de Güepaca. It eventually became a head mission, with the mission it used to serve as its visita.
Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Opodepe			1644	Originally served Mission Los Santos Reyes de Cucurpe. In 1762, it became a mission, with Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Nacameri as its visita.
San Luis Gonzága de Bacadéhuachi			1645	It served Mission Nuestra Señora de Nácori Chico. Eventually, it became a mission with two visitas.
Santo Tomás de Serva			1645	It served Mission Nuestra Señora de Nácori Chico.
San Ignacio Mochapa			1645	It served Mission San Luis Gonzága de Bacadéhuachi
San Miguel de Bavispe			1645	It served Mission Santa María de Baserac. It may have become a head mission.
San Juan Evangelista de Huachinera			1645	Originally served Mission Santa María de Baserac. It became a mission by 1688 and had one visita.
San Ignacio de Oputo			1645	It served Mission San Francisco Xavier de Guásavas.
Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Cumpas			1645	It originally served Mission San Miguel Arcángel de Oposura, then served Mission San Francisco Xavier de Guásavas.
San Ignacio de Sinoquipe			1646	It served Mission Nuestra Señora de los Remedios de Beramitzi. The church was being restored during 1955 and 1956.
San Miguel Tuape			1647	It served Mission Los Santos Reyes de Cucurpe.
San Miguel Bacoachi			1648	It served Mission Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Arizpe.
San José de Chinapa			1648	It served Mission Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Arizpe. Briefly an independent mission.
Santa Rosa de Tebadéguachi			1653	It served Mission San Ignacio de Cuquiarachi.
Guadalupe de Turicachi			1653	It served Mission San Ignacio de Cuquiarachi.
San Francisco Xavier de Rebeico			1673	It served Mission San José de Mátape.
San Ildefonso de Yécora			1673	It originally served Mission Santa Rosalia de Onapa. Later it had a visita at San Francisco Xavier de Maicoba.
San Francisco Xavier de Maicoba			1676	It served Mission San Ildefonso de Yécora.
San José de Imuris			1687	It served Mission de San Ignacio de Cabórica.
San Juan de Bisanig			Likely 1690's	It served Mission La Purísima Concepción de Nuestra Señora de Caborca. On Valentine's Day, 1694, it became a mission, and was named San Valentin del Bizani. However, it stayed as a visita for most of its life after.
Santa María Magdalena			1690	It served Mission de San Ignacio de Cabórica. It may have had a visita at one point.
San Antonio de Oquitoa			1690	Founded by Father Eusebio Kino as a visita to Mission San Pedro y San Pablo del Tubutama. In 1756 it was a visita of Mission Santa Teresa de Atil.
Santa Teresa de Atil			1692	It served Mission San Pedro y San Pablo del Tubutama.
San Diego del Pitiquito			1694	It served Mission La Purísima Concepción de Nuestra Señora de Caborca.
San Lázaro			1695	It served Mission Santa María Suamca.
San Luis Baconacos			1697	At various times, it served Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi. Originally, Father Eusebio Kino founded a ranch here, and by 1706 its church was built.
Santa María de Bugota/Santa María de Suamca			1698	It served Mission Nuestra Señora del Pilar y Santiago de Cocóspera. Founded by Father Eusebio Kino. He said the first mass there in 1698, but the actual church was built in 1706.
San Ambrosio del Busanic y Tucubavia			1698	It served Mission Santa Gertrudis del Sáric.
San Bernardo de Aquimuri			Between 1700-1701	Founded by Father Eusebio Kino. It served Mission Santa Gertrudis del Sáric. By 1706, a church was built here, and stood till at least 1772.
San Ildefonso de Ostimuri				It served Mission Santa Rosalia de Onapa.