Established on December 8, 1787 La Purisima Mission is the eleventh of twenty-one missions in California.  Between 1787 and 1812, La Purisima Mission thrived in terms of population and economic growth as well as increases in farming and livestock operations.

December 21, 1812 changed everything.  A large earthquake followed by a series of large rainstorms destroyed the mission site.  The year 1812 is now known as The Year of the Earthquakes.

Following the devastating earthquake of 1812, the Mission Padres sought permission to relocate La Purisima Mission to a site located four miles away.  Construction at the current location began in the spring of 1813.

Today, the original site of La Purisima Mission is known as "Mission Vieja" or the "Old Mission".  Visitors can still see some of the original walls and entry way to the church.  A vast majority of the site is covered by a neighborhood that was constructed during the mid-1900s.