The founding of Mission Santa Cruz more than 200 years ago changed the course of history for the region. Where was the first church built in 1791 and why was that location selected? This hands-on book by local author and academic Melanie J Mayer approaches the location of the first Santa Cruz Mission as a mystery, providing readers with seven clues to help them discover for themselves the reasoning and location for the original mission.
Drawing from explorers’ journal entries and maps, The Mission Santa Cruz Mystery: Seven Clues To Find the Site of The First Mission, takes readers on an interactive walking tour of historical downtown Santa Cruz to the most probable location for the original mission, before it was relocated to present-day Mission Hill, where one original adobe building still remains as Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park.