[Not exactly a handsome fellow by modern standards J]
Fages was born in Guissona, Lleida province, Catalonia, Spain. There is little information about his family background or class. However, as he first appears as the first lieutenant of a company of the 1st battalion of the 2nd regiment of the Catalan Volunteer Light Infantry, his family had to be influential.
He was reputed to be a peculiar man; industrious, energetic, and brave, a skillful hunter and dashing horseman, fond of children, who crowded around him and always found his pockets filled with sweets. He also had a “fair education”, executive abilities, and was hot-tempered.
After campaigning against Sonoran Indians, he was assigned to the California expedition under Captain Portolá with 25 men of his company. We then have a perfect example of how the Spanish caste system worked. After joining up, he was made second in command to Portolá and the superior of Captain Rivera, who had served in the military in Baja California and been the military commandant there. Why? Because he was a “peninsular” and Rivera was a Criollo! [I’ll bet someone wasn’t very happy about this.]
The expedition north to San Miguel Bay was split into two sections. Portolá led the land section while Fages the sea - setting sail in January 1969 on the packet boat San Carlos. Rivera, meanwhile, due to his knowledge of the land, led the advance land party.
Fages reached San Diego with most of his men sick with scurvy and dysentery - along with most of the crew. Even then, when Portolá arrived in San Diego, he took Fages and his men on his trek north of find the fabled port of Monte Rey. He left Rivera behind to build the fortifications.
Laguna Buena Vista
When Don Gaspar gave up the governorship to retire to Mexico, Fages was promoted to captain and became the lieutenant governor of Alta California. Once again, over Rivera. He would serve in that position until 1774 when Rivera replaced him.
Fages was the longest serving governor in California history. So, what’s this about?
Father Serra, of course. Fages felt his responsibilities outweighed those of the president guardian of the missions and the two were constantly at loggerheads. Serra finally prepared a Reprecención to present to the viceroy. His charges were: Bad treatment of and haughty manners toward his men, causing them to hate him, as friars Juan Figuer and Ramon Usson had learned by long experience; incompetence to command the cuera soldiers, since he belonged himself to another branch of the service; refusal to transfer soldiers for bad conduct at the padres' request; meddling with mission management and the punishment of neophytes as he had no right to do except for delitos de sangre, or grave offenses; refusal to allow the padre a soldier to serve as majordomo, the soldier being transferred as soon as he became attached to a padre, on the plea that such attachment was subversive of the military authority; irregular and delayed delivery of letters and property directed to the padres, according to his whim, thus preventing the distribution of small gifts to the Indians; insolence and constant efforts to annoy the friars, who were at his mercy; delaying mission work by retaining at the presidio the only blacksmith; opening the friars' letters, and neglect to inform them in time when mails were to start; taking away the mission mules for the use of the soldiers; and the retention under charge of the presidio of cattle intended for new missions.
And then, Father Serra boarded one of the packet boats and sailed for San Blas, then on to Mexico City to present his charges. This resulted in Fages being removed as governor of Alta California.
But Fages wasn’t through with California.
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