Background
Baegert was born in Sélestat, Alsace, the son of a leather worker
Baegert was born in Sélestat, Alsace, the son of a leather worker
He is noted for his detailed and acerbic account of the peninsula, the culture of its native inhabitants, and the history of its Spanish exploration and missionization. After serving briefly as a professor at the college in Haguenau, he was assigned to missionary work in the New World. He went by way of Genoa and Cadiz to Veracruz, Mexico City, and finally Baja California in 1749-1751.
Baegert"s travels across Europe as well as his experiences in Mexico and Baja California were described in ten letters he wrote to his family (Baegert 1777, 1982).
The new missionary was assigned to work among the Guaycura at Mission San Luis Gonzaga. Baegert served at San Luis Gonzaga for the next 17 years, also functioning as a time as the Superior for the California missions.
In 1767 the Spanish king Charles III ordered the expulsion of the Jesuits. As a non-Spanish subject, Baegert traveled back to Sélestat and ultimately settled at Neustadt an der Weinstraße 1770, where he worked as a priest and teacher until he died.
He published his description of Baja California in 1771, with a revised edition appearing in 1772 (Baegert 1772, 1952).
Baegert"s book includes an account of the Guaycura language and many other aspects of native culture.
