Between 1769 and 1823, under the leadership of Father Jun pero Serra, the Spanish established a chain of missions along the California coast. Models of architectural beauty, they stretched from San Diego to north of San Francisco.
Artist David Rickman's accurately rendered and well-researched drawings (including several double-page spreads) depict all 21 of these admirable structures, among them San Buenaventura, San Jos de Guadalupe, Santa...