San Juan Capistrano << san HWAHN `kap` uhs TRAH noh >>, California (pop. 35,196), is a city 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. The city grew up around a mission founded in 1776. The mission is known for the swallows that leave every year about October 23 to winter in the south and return to Capistrano about March 19.
