What industry was started by the spanish missions?

The Spanish missions in California, and indeed throughout the Americas, played a major role in the development of the ranching industry.

Here's why:

* Cattle and Livestock: Missions were self-sustaining agricultural centers. They raised vast herds of cattle, sheep, and horses for their own use and to trade.

* Land Management: Missionaries established large ranchos, or ranches, with extensive grazing lands. This laid the foundation for the ranching system that would later become a defining feature of California's economy.

* Labor System: The missions utilized forced labor from Native Americans to tend to their livestock and manage the ranches. This system had a significant impact on the relationship between European settlers and indigenous populations.

While the missions were primarily religious institutions, their impact on the development of the ranching industry in California was profound. The large-scale cattle ranching that followed, though employing different labor practices, was a direct result of the foundations laid by the missions.