The Mission holds an important position in the history and economy of California. Culturally, Old Mission San Luis Rey has been an influence on its community from its founding in 1798.

Franciscan Missionaries from Spain established the site. Native American Luiseno Indians lived in nearby villages and at the Mission itself. The Franciscan Friars and Luiseno Indians built the Mission together. Mexican and early American settlers to the area influenced the direction of the mission and its properties. It is a registered National and State Historic Landmark.

The Mission serves as an important field trip venue for elementary, high school, and college students of architecture and American History. Old Mission San Luis Rey is architecturally significant for its distinctive and quintessentially Spanish Colonial features.

Relatively intact, the Mission church has not been significantly altered since its completion nearly two hundred years ago. The mission is recognized on the National Register of Trees for having the first pepper tree and the largest Japanese bottlebrush tree in California. The Lavanderia is one of the only remaining open air Native American laundry and bathing structures in North America.