French and Spanish Missions in North America
by John Corrigan and Tracy Leavelle, with Arthur Remillard
August 2004

User Guide
NOTE: The TimeMap features of this publication have been disabled due to Java security issues. A GoogleEarth interactive version and a new Video have been substituted on the Maps page. This page is retained to document the original features of the 2004 online publication.

About this publication

This publication is an interactive book. That means that it provides an introductory overview of the subject together with a rich data files of information that users can query in various ways, and especially through utilization of TimeMap™. The following discussion of ways in which persons might engage the site is for purposes of orientation and suggests only a few possibilities. Researchers who familiarize themselves with the site will discover many other ways in which to query the data.

Getting started

The home page for French and Spanish Missions in North America includes a listing, to the left of the map, of the various components of the website. In order to understand the ways in which the data has been constructed, view it by clicking on data files (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). In the Excel file you will see the columns of data under various headings. The first screen includes data about the missions themselves. For a key to the headings in each column, consult the data dictionary. By selecting tabs in the bottom-left corner of the Excel workbook screen, you can view the data for “Indians,” “Missionaries,” “Institutions” and other categories. Other aspects of the project, such as the historical overview, the bibliography, and web links, can also be accessed through the menu in the left-hand column of the home page.

Using TimeMap

The core of the project is the dynamic map that utilizes the TimeMap display of mission data. Access it through “Maps” in the left-hand column of the project homepage. The default background is a state map of the United States, showing major waterways and elevations, and the default layer is “North American Missions.” The blue dots each indicate a point where a Spanish or French mission existed. Click on a site and one or more categories of information relevant to that mission will be displayed in a box beside the site. Click on an attribute (e.g. “North American Missions”) in that box and another box will open at the top of the screen with that information. In order to familiarize yourself with the toolbar, legend, timebar, and background, click on TMJava User Guide just below the timebar.

The timebar below the map indicates the period of time displayed on the map. The default setting is for the period 1550-1850, as represented by the brown timebar. (Note: In cases where missions were closed prior to 1850, they will still be displayed on the map in this time setting.) You may click on and drag, left or right, the ends of the brown bar in order to narrow or enlarge the period that you wish to view. If you reduce the period to 1550-1750, you will see that the California missions have disappeared (they were not yet founded) as well as some others, both in New France and New Spain. If you adjust the timebar to the period 1725 and 1750 (click and drag the left end toward the right), almost all of the Florida missions will have disappeared (in north Florida, many were overrun by English soldiers), as well as many of those in New France. The precise time, in terms of date and time, is displayed in the line just above the timebar. The period of time can be set to individual years, months, and days through use of the buttons to the left of the timebar. The two screen shots below illustrate the map at 1550-1750 and at 1725-1750.

Zoom in on the eastern half of North America by clicking the zoom tool and then clicking again on a spot east of the Mississippi River. At this level of magnification, several other layers become visible, including the religious orders that supervised each of the missions. The active layer is “Rivers.” Roll the cursor over a river on the map and the name of that river will appear just above the left end of the timebar. Now click on “Indian tribe” in the legend to activate that layer. Roll the cursor over any mission site and the name of the tribe associated with it will appear. You may do likewise with other layers listed on the legend. Data about individual missions can be obtained at any time by clicking on the “Select” tool (the arrow icon) and then clicking any mission. (Note: Certain kinds of data [e.g. population records, missionaries] are not available for every mission.)

For California, Florida and much of New France, there is data about the Catholic clergy who served as missionaries in those places. Zoom in on California and activate the “Missionaries” layer. Rolling the cursor over each mission will yield the name of one missionary associated with that site. Click on the site and the box that appears will list the number of missionaries at that site for whom data is available. Click on that attribute (“missionaries”) and a larger box will open at the top of the screen with information about clergy who served at that mission.

You can try various other ways in which to query the dynamic map screen using the timebar, legend, and toolbar, and you can create animations that respond to your queries. If you wish to look for patterns in the organization of mission activities, you could create, for example, an animation of the founding and closing of the missions in north Florida in the following way: (1) zoom in on the Florida/Georgia area; (2) click the animation icon (the clock) on the toolbar; (3) in the box that opens, set the starting dates for 1590 and the end for 1710, and the time span and the increment for one year; (4) click the play button.

The Pueblo revolt against the Spanish in the Taos/Santa Fe area took place in 1680. To create an animation showing the mission closings during the revolt and reopenings in its aftermath, zoom in on the cluster of missions in northern New Mexico, click the animation button, and set the beginning times to 1675 and end for 1699, with the time span and step set at one year. The missions will disappear from the map in 1680 and gradually reappear as relations with Indians were reestablished. You may pause the animation at any time, click on the “Select” tool, and then click on individual missions in order to identify which were active during that period. Here are the missions in 1675:

Another example of the consequences of battles with Native Americans can be seen in the demise of a cluster of French missions around Sainte-Marie, all of which were permanently abandoned in the aftermath of hostilities with the Iroquois in the late 1640s. Zoom in on the missions at the eastern end of Lake Huron, and set the animation start dates for 1630 and the end date for 1675. The French did not rebuild the missions in the area even though, as the animation shows, they founded other missions in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence. Here are screen shots from 1647 and 1652:

You can see the missions in relation to historical maps of the time by changing the background. Zoom out and then click the Bonne, Rigobert 1771 map in the legend. Zoom in on south Texas and set the left end of the time bar for 1771. Click off all layers except “Spanish Missions.” You will see the missions (red dots) that were active at that time against the background of features drawn on the 1771 map. Using the “Select” tool, click on each one to learn about its founding and closing.

Some backgrounds will be useful in showing the relation of missions to historical towns, waterways, and topographic features. Others will provide perspective on territorial boundaries. Some will exaggerate certain features and in so doing provide clues as to why Europeans imagined certain places better for missions than others. For more examples of using historical maps and cultural datasets see: The ECAI Web Site.  For access to more historical maps and cultural datasets see: ECAI Clearinghouse. 

Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative

Copyright © John Corrigan, Tracy Leavelle
December 2004

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