We are standing at the original site of the San Diego Mission, looking at the brick cross built in 1913 from fired bricks that were gathered from the Presidio ruins. This was done to represent the original wooden cross placed here by Padre Junipero Serra on July 16, 1769.
Several statues have been placed on Presidio Hill, this one representing the Padres.
Another statue representing the Native Californians.
The married soldiers and civilians lived in apartment-like quarters. Each family was allotted one or two rooms with small "backyard" areas that could be used for cooking. These are the ruins of those quarters.
This is a view of the "Royal Presidio of San Diego" as it stands today. When you look around you can see why this was such a good site for a presidio. The views of the bay and surrounding area help explain why this presidio was never captured.
This is the view of the bay from the presidio. It must have been very commanding before the trees, homes and businesses grew and took a portion of the view.
This is another statue in the park, this one representing the Governor of San Diego.
To continue our field trip we traveled six miles up the river valley to the present location.
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