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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 12 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.

Missions, Presidios and Pueblos

An information text written for this worksheet. Spain settled its northern lands with three kinds of places. A mission was run by priests, who taught the Catholic faith and put Native people to work. A presidio was a fort with soldiers. It was built near missions to protect them and to defend Spain's claim to the land. A pueblo was a town of settlers who farmed and traded, such as Los Angeles, founded in 1781. Santa Fe, in New Mexico, was founded about 1610 and became the capital of Spain's colony there. In 1680 the Pueblo peoples of New Mexico rose up together, led by a man named Popé, and drove the Spanish out for twelve years.

  1. 1. Which town in the text was founded in 1781?
  2. 2. Why did the Spanish leave New Mexico for twelve years after 1680?
  3. 3. What was a presidio?
2.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. Why did many Native people work on the ranchos?
  3. 3. What were ranchos?

LessonPrint · D2.His.14.3-5 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The Spanish Missions

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Los Angeles. 2. The Pueblo peoples rose up together, led by Popé, and drove the Spanish out. 3. A fort with soldiers.
  2. 2.1. It does not say how many of them there were or how they felt about the work. 2. Very little mission land went to them, so they had to work for food and shelter. 3. Huge cattle ranches granted to Mexican settlers.

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