Did you know California was once a Spanish colony? It was known then as Alta California. The coastline was dotted with 21 missions, all about a day’s walk from each other. The Spanish built these missions to secure their land claim. Local natives were rounded up and forced to live on the mission where the missionaries tried to convert them to Christianity and make them into good Spanish subjects.

Check out Ryan and Carter’s GoAnimate. In this animation you’ll see three different points of view on this period of history–a native Indian, a Spanish missionary, and a Spanish soldier.