Touring south to north, from San Diego through Santa Barbara County, this unique compendium takes the reader through the Southern California Mission System as portrayed on vintage postcards. The book elaborates on the missions' myriad functions along the coastal El Camino Real through several centuries as not only isolated centers of civilization in the wilderness and altars of Catholic faith, but also as incursions of empire and politics and the means to convert Native American tribespeople to Christianity. While the Missions San Gabriel and San Juan Capistrano fittingly receive ample coverage herein, this book covers the region's nine major missions as well as outlying chapels, or "asistencias."