The Gift Shop/Mission will be closed on Good Friday, April 3rd, and Easter Sunday, April 5th. We will be open Holy Saturday, April 4th, from 10 am –

4 pm. Please plan your visit according to our holiday schedule.

The Curator’s Corner:

Purpose of the California Missions

The primary focus of the California Missions was the Indians. Central to the efforts of the Franciscan Padres at all of the California Missions was to gather the native peoples into villages surrounding the location of a Mission establishment. At these transitional villages, the native peoples underwent a process called reduccion. There they were reduced into the Missions by being taught Christian doctrine and morality, as well as European cultural values. Spanish laws and government were further established by the creation of townships (pueblos) of Hispanicized farmers and artisans out of the indigenous population. Spanish law provided that Indian tribes entering the mission system would have their lands preserved intact under the management of the mission padres. The intention was to have self-governing pueblos in place within 10 years of the foundation of a given mission.

Although California’s Indians were the primary focus of the padres, the missions served important functions for the Hispanic population as well. Governor Jose Figueroa summed up the work of the missions just before their closure, “Military and civilians depended on missions, made loans, were hostels where travelers and poor received food, lodging, horses or whatever they wanted free of charge. California missions were the sole source of the prosperity of the territory.” 

 To be continued…….