The following is a list of the order in which the Missions were founded, each is linked to an artist's painting of the mission at the California Missions page.

1. San Diego de Acala (1769)
2. San Carlos Boromeo de Carmelo (1770)
3. San Antonio de Padua (1771)
4. San Gabriel Arcangel (1771)
5. San Luis Obispo (1772)
6. San Francisco de Asis (1776)
7. San Juan Capistrano (1776)
8. Santa Clara de Asis (1777)
9. San Buenaventura (1782)
10. Santa Barbara (1786)
11. La Purisima Concepcion (1787)
12. Santa Cruz (1791)
13. Nuestra Senora de la Soledad (1791)
14. San Jose de Guadalupe (1797)
15. San Juan Bautista (1797)
16. San Miguel Arcangel (1797)
17. San Fernando Rey de Espana (1797)
18. San Luis Rey (1798)
19. Santa Ines (1804)
20. San Rafael Arcangel (1817)
21. San Francisco Solano de Sonoma (1823)