Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá was the first
Franciscan mission in the
Las Californias Province of the
Viceroyalty of New Spain. Located in present-day
San Diego,
California, it was founded on July 16, 1769 by Spanish friar
Junípero Serra in an area long inhabited by the
Kumeyaay Indians. The mission and the surrounding area were named for the Catholic
Saint Didacus, a Spaniard more commonly known as
San Diego. The mission was the site of the first Christian burial in Alta California. San Diego is also generally regarded as the site of the region's first public execution, in 1778. Father
Luís Jayme, "California's First Christian Martyr," lies entombed beneath the
chancel floor. The current church is the fourth to stand on this location. The Mission is a
National Historic Landmark.