Mike, thank you for the on-going dialogue. I respect your answers and effort very much. You are obviously open to alternate views. And I hope I can be just as fair to your views.
.... I know more about the Order than most Non-Jesuit Catholics....
Now here's where you and I really should sit down with a 6-pack and talk sometime, if you're ever in my neck of the woods, or if I'm ever in your neck. Here's why:
I am a docent at Carmel mission. Located at it's current location since 1771. Which, as you can surmise, was still-during the Jesuit period (albeit just a few more years). And as a docent , I've actually obtained permission to hunt around the mission (long story). And have first-hand look at the dug artifacts that came from all around the grounds during laborious sifting that went on during the rennovations and restoration periods of the 1930s to early 1950s.
When the current lay of the buildings was taking places (which went in/on the exact footprint of the original quad, using original floors, and oft-times incorporating original walls that still stood at-the-time), they had the presence of mind to sift every square inch of ground, before the modern parochial school wings, museum wings, etc.... were done up. This was in the era before detectors. Of course.
And as a result, the mission has one of the best "dug artifact" collections of all the 21 missions. Scores of coins, buttons, medallions, etc.... Of which my contribution (got to detect some of the grounds) added a few more reales, some phoenix buttons, etc... And the age of some of the coins and such are definitely towards that earlier period . Eg.: reales with dates from early to mid 1770s that show little to no wear.
So .... here's where I have to challenge you (with much respect) : Despite the colorful notions that the Jesuits were rich beyond their wildest dreams, .... and despite your text about all the escudos circulating about, blah blah, well ...... guess how many gold coins are in the mission's collection ? Zero. Guess how many of the dug crucifixes, medallions, adornments, etc... were gold ? Zero.
I don't know how rich you think the successors to the Jesuits were in the CA mission chain, but I assure you: If you think the missions were "rich", it is NOT born out in the archaeological record. Sorry. I don't want to implicate myself as to where else in CA I've hunted (I'll plead the 5th), but .... I assure you .... there is none of this gold you speak of that bears out what you are saying. DESPITE period targets that come up.
I know of a few escudos that have turned up. But they are later 1820s, 1840s, etc.... 1 in Half moon bay area (rancho land), 2 in San Juan Baustista (the area where soldiers during the Mexican war were stationed), etc.... I have found a few of my gold coins @ mission areas, but they were all American (1830s to 1840s). Yet I have found 100 or more reales. From the 1750s to the beginning of the CA statehood period. And trust me: There is NOT the gold you paint the picture of.
And the AZ and TX missions were no better off. No richer. In fact: Look at their ornateness, versus the CA missions. And you will see they were not at all elaborate. Go figure: Any supplies reaching up through the desert southwest to reach that frontier (Santa Fe, etc...) had to come up all the way through the Chihuahua desert by land.
And I know what you'll say next: Perhaps they weren't bringing all this gold up to their northern frontiers, but ... by golly, they had mines capable of producing tons of gold. Right ? But this is flying in the face of logic. I will save that for another post, and let you answer to what I've said so far.
thanx.
It's all good. 
I've been there, have you? I have pictures, do you
