Papa and I visited four Spanish missions today, Mission Santa Barbara (built 1786), Mission Santa Ines in Solvang (built 1804), La PurÃsima Concepcion (built 1787), and Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa (built 1772). Each Mission was different than the last and we enjoyed visiting each one.
“The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of 21 religious outposts (missions) established between 1769 and 1833. Founded by Catholic priests of the Franciscan order to evangelize Native Americans, the missions led to the creation of the New Spain province of Alta California and were part of the expansion of the Spanish Empire into the most northern and western parts of Spanish North America.
The missionaries forced the Native Americans to live in settlements, disrupting their traditional way of life. The missionaries introduced European fruits, vegetables, cattle, horses, ranching, and technology. The missions have been accused by critics of various abuses and oppression. In the end, the missions had mixed results in their objectives: to convert, educate, and transform the natives into Spanish colonial citizens.
By 1810, Spain’s king had been imprisoned by the French, and financing for military payroll and missions in California ceased. In 1821, Mexico achieved independence from Spain. The 21,000 Mission Indians produced leather, tallow, wool, and textiles, exported to Boston, South America, and Asia. The missions began to lose control over land in the 1820’s. At the peak of its development in 1832, the coastal mission system controlled an area equal to about one-sixth of Alta California. The Alta California government secularists the missions in 1833, which divided the mission lands into land grants with the transfer of Indian congregation lands to military commanders and their most loyal men. These became the Ranchos of California.
The surviving mission buildings are the state’s oldest structures and its most-visited historic monuments. The oldest cities of California formed around or near Spanish missions, including the four largest, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.”
The missionaries forced the Native Americans to live in settlements, disrupting their traditional way of life. The missionaries introduced European fruits, vegetables, cattle, horses, ranching, and technology. The missions have been accused by critics of various abuses and oppression. In the end, the missions had mixed results in their objectives: to convert, educate, and transform the natives into Spanish colonial citizens.
By 1810, Spain’s king had been imprisoned by the French, and financing for military payroll and missions in California ceased. In 1821, Mexico achieved independence from Spain. The 21,000 Mission Indians produced leather, tallow, wool, and textiles, exported to Boston, South America, and Asia. The missions began to lose control over land in the 1820’s. At the peak of its development in 1832, the coastal mission system controlled an area equal to about one-sixth of Alta California. The Alta California government secularists the missions in 1833, which divided the mission lands into land grants with the transfer of Indian congregation lands to military commanders and their most loyal men. These became the Ranchos of California.
The surviving mission buildings are the state’s oldest structures and its most-visited historic monuments. The oldest cities of California formed around or near Spanish missions, including the four largest, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.”
