Old Santa Inés Missionis the 19th of 21 California missions established by the Franciscan Fathers. Padre Junipero Serra founded the first 8 missions beginning with mission San Diego de Alcala in San Diego in 1769.
These missions were established by the Spanish crown which controlled the secular activities of the Catholic Church in Spain and its territories. Together with the military, Spain could establish a presence in California and protect this territory from Russia and England.
The military established presidios close to ports and acted as a provisional government – Spain’s representative. They distributed funds for the Missions’ maintenance, and recommended how many padres would be allowed at the various Missions.