When Earth Built Paradise
Standing on Playa La Misión, you are experiencing a land shaped by over 100 million years of dramatic geological events. From volcanic activity during the age of dinosaurs building the Peninsular Range to Miocene lava flows that formed flat-topped mesas, the landscape …
The First Stewards
Long before European ships appeared, the Kumeyaay people thrived here for over 12,000 years. Known as “Those who face the water from a cliff,” they skillfully managed the land, using controlled burning, water systems, and selective cultivation. Their territory spanne…
Mission Bells and Adobe Dreams
On March 28, 1787, Father Luis Sales founded Misión San Miguel Arcángel de la Frontera on traditional Kumeyaay lands, marking a cultural and political frontier. Attracting growing indigenous and Spanish populations, the mission became a center for agricultural prod…
Family Roots & Cattle Country
After the mission era ended, La Misión evolved into a rancho landscape under Felipe Crosthwaite Armstrong, who in 1862 purchased 7,500 hectares to create Rancho La Misión Vieja de San Miguel. This vast estate transformed the area into cattle country, managed by vaq…
The Ejido System
n 1938, La Misión embraced a revolutionary land reform with the establishment of Ejido La Misión, granting communal land rights to local families. Unlike private ownership, ejidatarios have protected use rights to parcels within shared community land, governed demo…
Modern Era
Since 1979, Fiesta en La Misión has celebrated this community’s rich cultural heritage, from ancient Kumeyaay roots to Spanish missions, ranchos, and ejidos. Founded by Professor Mario Ramon Reyes Melendez, the fiesta features unique traditions like the Baile Ca…