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The Spanish Missions is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on why the Spanish built missions and what they caused, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.14.3-5. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 11 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

The Spanish Missions

D2.His.14.3-5

NameDate

Read each text, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

After Mexico Became Independent

An information text written for this worksheet. Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, and the missions came under Mexico. In 1833 Mexico passed a law to close the California missions, and over the next few years their lands were taken from the priests. Most of the land was granted to Mexican settlers as huge cattle ranches called ranchos. The law said mission land should go to the Native people who had worked it, but very little did. Many Native people had to work on the ranchos for food and shelter instead of wages. Ranchos sold cattle hides and tallow, a fat used for candles and soap, to ships from the United States and Britain.

  1. 1. What does the text not tell you about the Native people on the ranchos?
  2. 2. What did the ranchos sell to ships?
  3. 3. What were ranchos?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The California Missions

An information text written for this worksheet. In 1769 Spain began building missions in Alta California, starting at San Diego. Father Junípero Serra led the first missions. By 1823 there were 21, spread along the coast from San Diego to Sonoma. Spain wanted to hold the coast against Russia and Britain, and to make Native people Catholic farmers and workers. Native people baptized at a mission were not allowed to leave it freely. Soldiers brought back those who ran away. They worked in the fields, in the workshops and with the herds of cattle and sheep. Crowded living and new diseases killed many thousands, and the Native population of the coast fell sharply.

  1. 1. What does the text not tell you about the people who ran away?
  2. 2. Whose own words are missing from this text?
  3. 3. Why did the Native population of the coast fall sharply?

LessonPrint · D2.His.14.3-5 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The Spanish Missions

Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. It does not say how many of them there were or how they felt about the work. 2. Cattle hides and tallow. 3. Huge cattle ranches granted to Mexican settlers.
  2. 2.1. It does not tell you why each person ran away or what happened after soldiers brought them back. 2. The words of the Native people who lived and worked at the missions. 3. Crowded living and new diseases killed many thousands.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.14.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.