Mission San Diego De Acala was the first mission ever built. It was established by Father Junipero Serra on July 16, 1769. Father Serra was a Franciscan missionary and was president of the missions. Mission San Diego is located fifteen miles north of the Mexican border, on top of Mission Valley, eight miles inland of the Pacific Ocean.

Mission San Diego looks like a church with two walls coming out of the sides of the door. It also has a bell tower with five bells & it has a wooden cross on top of the bell tower. The mission's outside is white. The inside of the mission looks like a cathedral, but instead of being made of concrete, it's made of wood and adobe bricks. The walls in the mission are three feet thick. They were made like that to keep it so that no one could get in or get out unless the gates were open. The mission also has a huge meditation garden next to the bell tower.

In 1775, six years after the mission was built, the mission was attacked by natives because they didn't like going to church and breaking their true religion. In 1803 an earthquake severely damaged the mission, but it didn't do as much damage as the attack did. In 1807 a dam was built to increase the water supply quality, and luckily it started to increase & get better.

Today the mission is used as a catholic church. The whole mission is still standing and the bells ring on every July 16th to celebrate the mission's birthday. It's been renovated three times and is still as beautiful as it was when it was first built.

I think it's cool that it was the first mission ever established and that it's so close to San Diego. I don't like the fact Father Serra just busted in with his soldiers and forced the natives to work their backs off while the padres just got to sit around and watch them do all the work. I think Father Serra would be very proud of the mission today.