Mission San Juan Bautista

By
Suzie Q
Mrs. Eller/Room 10/Fourth Grade

Table of Contents
1
Introduction.page 3

Building of the Mission......page 3

Life at the Mission......page 4

Indians at the Mission.....page 4

Conclusion......page 6

Timeline of the Mission.page 7

2
 Introduction

When Mission San Juan Bautista was founded by

Father Lasuen on June 24, 1797, it was an important part of
Spains plan to establish its presence in California. The
historic buildings, the lifestyle at the mission, and the
introduction of European music, all impacted life in California during the Mission
Era.

Building of the Mission

Mission San Juan Bautista grew so rapidly that the padres ended up building
the largest church in the mission chain. In the beginning the goal of the padres was to
finish the church quickly. So, working with great energy, Jose Martiarena and Pedro
Martinez supervised the building and it was completed in six months. It was a
simple, adobe building without a tower. The nine bells hung from a crossbar in front
of the church. However, The Indian population at the mission grew so rapidly that a
larger church was needed. This was because the Mutsun Indians
nearby were very friendly and interested in joining the mission.
The population soon was up to 500 Indians and the church was
too small to hold everyone. Because of this, plans were made to
build a brand new church. The new church was 188 feet long and
had two center aisles. It also had an impressive bell tower. It
became the largest church in the mission chain. Mission San Juan Bautistas church
was famous because it was so large, and it was clearly needed because the Indian
population grew so quickly.

3
 Life at the Mission

Life at Mission San Juan Bautista was a never- ending routine full of daily
chores. For instance, the Mutsun men worked hard every day doing the jobs that took
a lot of strength. Probably the hardest job was making huge adobe bricks every day.
The padres required them to each make at least 40 a day. They also had to make clay
tiles, tend crops, and work in the blacksmith shop making tools, pots, and horseshoes.
Additionally, the Mutsun women were kept busy
each day with their own tasks. They were
expected to cook three meals a day for everyone
living at the mission. They also had to spin wool
into thread and weave it into cloth on giant looms.
Making candles and soap from tallow was also the womens responsibility. Even the
Mutsun children were required to work every day and hardly ever got to relax and
play. The boys had to pick up manure from the grounds and add it to the adobe pits.
The girls had to bring buckets of water from the creek and water the crops in the
field. All the children were required to attend religion classes. Overall, the Native
Americans at the mission were kept busy from morning until night with important
daily jobs.

Indians at the Mission

Once they moved to Mission San Juan Bautista, the lives of the Native
Americans were changed forever. For example, once they were baptized they were
required to live at the mission. The unmarried women and young girls were required

4
to live in a special building called a nunnery. They could visit friends and family in
the evening but at night they had to return to the nunnery. A mayordomo locked them
in every night. The children were not allowed to live with their parents after the age
of eight. In their old lives they had been able to live with their families, but at the
mission they were all separated.
Even more life changing was that
the Native American neophytes lost
all their freedom. Every day the
neophytes had to obey what the
padres told them to do. They were
required to attend church and say
prayers. They had to work from early morning until night with almost no free time.
They were not even allowed to have their own religion that they had grown up with.
Essentially, they were treated like slaves. They could not leave the mission even to
visit their relatives, and they were not even paid for all their work. The hardest part
was that the neophytes were punished severely for small to big offenses. Many
neophytes regretted their decision to join the mission. They were not allowed to
changed their mind and leave once they were baptized. They had to obey lots of rules.
For example, they couldnt be late to church. They also were in trouble if they
brought a dirty blanket to church. They were in big trouble if the padres thought they
were being too lazy. If they disobeyed the padres they were whipped. They were also
put in stocks and publically humiliated. If they tried to run away, the soldiers hunted
them down, brought them back, and put them in jail. In summary, once the Native
Americans at Mission San Juan Bautista were baptized, their lives were never the
same again.

5
 Conclusion

Clearly, an important part of Californias history is the Mission Era, and

California today still reflects this rich history. The missions influence is still seen
today in Californias architectural style, the abundance of Spanish place names, the
popularity of Spanish food, and because the major cities of today all began as pueblos
that grew around the missions.

6
 Timeline for Mission San Juan Bautista

1797: Mission San Juan Bautista is founded.

1798: Terrible earthquake shakes the mission throughout the month of October.

1800: Another earthquake destroys the church.

1803: Plans are made to build a new, larger church.

1805: Native American population reached 1,100.

1808: New padre arrives (Father Arroyo de la Cuesta)

1812: The new church is dedicated. The Native American population had declined to 500.
Father Tapis retired as Presidente and came to live at Mission San Juan Bautista.

1817: The new church is finished.

1820: A new carpenter, Thomas Doak, was hired to embellish the interior walls.

1823: The Native American population peaked at 1247.

1826: English barrel organ is given to the mission which causes great excitement.

1833: Father Cuesta retires.

1835: Mexico takes over and the mission is reduced to a curacy of the second class according
to the Secularization Act.

1847: Served as housing for the Breen family who survived the infamous Donner Party.

1859: Title of San Juan Bautista Mission was restored to the church as part of
desecularization.

1860: Large wooden tower for the church was built.

1906: Earthquake caused extensive damage and the church walls collapsed.

1949: Hearst Foundation restored the church and mission to what it is today