Mission Viejo Company was formed in 1963, and plans for the development of the community were approved in 1965. Here, the spirit of pioneers became evident when planners and developers, like the early settlers, were starting something from the bare earth. Our western heritage and the unique Spanish/Mexican influence, beginning with the various Missions of California, could not be overlooked. The English translation of the Spanish Mission Viejo is "Old Mission." Before the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, five missions had already been formed, and during 1775, Mission San Juan Capistrano was first established. This mission was originally located on the land grant of Juan Forster, which included ten thousand acres that now is the City of Mission Viejo, California. At the same time, as our eastern states were separating from England, Caspar de Portola and Father Junipero Serra were in the process of Christianizing and colonizing Alta California.