French and Spanish Missions in North America

Data Files

Compiling the Data

The detailed data on Spanish and French missions compiled for this project came from numerous sources, primary and secondary, old as well as new. The project thus stands on a foundation constructed by historians and archaeologists through many decades of dedicated study (see the extensive bibliography for the works consulted in this project). Secondary sources describing the histories of particular missions, mission networks, Native peoples, missionaries, and important events of the colonial era provided the bulk of the material incorporated into the data tables. Published primary sources supplemented this material and offered more direct access to daily routines and significant people and events in the missions. Together, these sources revealed dynamic worlds of intense intercultural encounters, colonial conquests and strong communities, spiritual discovery and cultural exchange. The information that allows a glimpse into these complex histories is fragmentary and sometimes contradictory, however. Whenever possible data have been checked across multiple sources, but frequently the information included came from a single, obscure source. In many other cases conflicting information made it difficult to decide which interpretation to follow in compiling the data. Some data categories therefore have codes that illustrate the degree of confidence in a particular entry. See Mission Source Information, for information on the collection and source of the Mission data.

Data for French and Spanish Missions in North America was collected and stored in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The data was then imported into a Microsoft Access database and reformatted to create the attribute data for the layers on the dynamic maps. For more information on the development of the database and creation of the maps, please see the Technical Information section. You can download the data and the associated data field definitions below.

Download the Data

• Data Dictionary: Description of the data fields used in the data files.
• Data (Microsoft Excel): The data used to create the publication and the dynamic maps.
  • Tab delimited versions of the data can be downloaded by clicking on the table names below)

Data Tables for the Project:

MISSIONS: the primary data table contains basic information on the name, geographic location, duration, and sponsoring religious order and colonial empire of each mission site. Sites with multiple occupations, significant interruptions, or changes in operating religious order have Roman numerals (I, II, etc.) attached to the mission name. There are 420 individual entries in the mission table, which accounts for close to 99% of the known French and Spanish missions in North America north of Mexico.

INDIANS: the table collects the names of the Native groups connected to each mission. There are often several groups listed for a single mission, and every mission with an entry in the primary table has at least one entry in this table. For some Native nations the first name that appears is the most common popular name. Whenever possible names that reflect self-identification also appear in the table.

POPULATION: this table contains population statistics, often detailed, for some of the missions. The data provide insight into population change over time in the Spanish missions of Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and Alta California.

EPIDEMICS: the limited data in this table identify epidemics that occurred in the Spanish missions of San Antonio (Texas). Mortality data appear for San Antonio de Valero.

INSTITUTIONS: the table provides information on colonial institutions such as forts, trading posts, European settlements, and governmental centers associated with certain missions. There are gaps in this data due to the limitations of the source material.

MISSIONARIES: the missionary table presents detailed lists of individual missionaries who worked in the Spanish and French missions. Data include the dates and locations of births and deaths, information on the year of entry into religious orders and the taking of religious vows, and wherever possible the specific missions in which the missionaries worked. Most of the missionaries that appear in the list worked in Alta California, Florida, and New France.

COMMODITIES: the information in this table identifies some of the commodities produced at the missions. Although limited by the source material, the data nevertheless offer some insight into the productive work performed by the Native peoples in the missions as well as the contributions that missions made to the colonial economy.

Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative

Copyright © John Corrigan, Tracy Leavelle
December 2004

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