Mission San Gabriel Arcángel

Everyone has seen the bell wall — on postcards, on license plates, in the background of every history class photo. But standing in front of the campanario in person is different. Six bells, hung in two tiers, still rung for Mass at the fourth mission in California, founded in 1771 by St. Junípero Serra.

The capped buttresses and long stone arches look like nothing else in the LA basin — more like something out of a painting than a neighborhood street in San Gabriel. Inside, the church is narrow, deep, and dim, painted in vivid reds and blues, and it has been in continuous use longer than just about anything else around here.

The honest part of the story: the mission was built by the Tongva people, and the museum on the grounds tells that history straight — the faith, the hardship, and everything in between. We think that's exactly what makes it worth visiting. Faith this old deserves to be seen whole. Come on the missions tour and stand under those bells yourself.