When the Spanish began colonizing the San Francisco Peninsula in the 1770s, the Franciscan fathers were in control of the operation. Their goal was to Christianize the natives and prepare ...

The Dicastery of the Causes of Saints has promulgated a decree recognizing that five Spanish Franciscans were killed “in odium fidei” (“in hatred of the faith”) in 1597 — specifically for defending ...

Today, July 1, is the feast day of St. Junípero Serra, the 18th-century Spanish Franciscan priest who brought Catholicism to California. Lending his name and patronage to countless churches, streets, ...

The five Spanish Franciscans, known as the Georgia martyrs, are seen in a painting featured in a video from the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. The friars were martyred between Sept. 14 and Sept. 17, ...

The Americas has been one of the principal journals of Latin American history since its founding in 1944. It publishes articles and reviews in history and ethnohistory about all geographical regions ...

California’s missions are some of the oldest landmarks that hold stories from the state’s early days. These sites give you a ...