Mission San Juan Capistrano was the 7th mission created by the Spanish between the years of 1769 and 1823 in what is now California. The Spanish built their mission settlements near Indian territories so that they could convert them to Christianity and use the tribes to help build the missions. Today, the Mission San Juan Capistrano is often associated with the swallows who visit the mission every summer.





Photograph by Bicvan T. Brown, copyright 2007.




The History of Mission San Juan Capistrano


Two of the most important men that helped create the mission system were Fray Serra and Fray Lausen. Fray Serra was in charge of Alta California, know as “New Spain” when the Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded. Fray Lasuen was put in charge of the Mission system and Fray Serra died and made many building and farming improvements.


The first attempt to build Mission San Juan Capistrano, lead by Fray Lausen, was stopped by an Indian attack that killed several people. A year later, Fray Serra returned to the area, selected a new site and started building the mission.


Mission San Juan Capistrano took many years to build and required that the local tribes and missionaries work together to overcome hardships. The missionaries taught the Indians better ways to do things. The Acagchemem tribe helped to build the mission. Both groups had to deal with problems caused by pirates, disease, natural disasters and cultural differences.


After an eleven year war between the Spanish government and the people of “New Spain”, the missionaries won their freedom and formed Mexico. The Mexican government wasted the Mission’s resources until the U.S. government took control of the land after a war with Mexico from 1847-1848. President Lincoln returned control of Mission San Juan Capistrano to the Catholics in 1865 after California became a state.




The Native American Tribe and Natural Resources



The largest group of Native American Indians that lived in the area where the Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded were from the Acagchemem tribe. The lifestyle of this tribe was based on their environment and living off the land. Like many other tribes in Alta California, the Acagchemem lived in small villages near a source of water. This tribe settled in the area where the mission would eventually be built because it was close to the ocean and two rivers. The ocean and rivers provided fish and clams for food as well as shells, glass and rocks for weapons. These weapons were also used to hunt the many animals in the area such as deer, birds, rabbits and quail.


There were also a lot of oak trees and cactus in the area. The acorns in the oak tress were a large source of food for the local tribe. “Once the acorns were collected, the women had to take special care in preparing them in order to remove a natural poison that would cause sickness or even death. After shelling the acorns, they crushed the nuts into flour. Then they cleaned the flour 10 times. Once the flour was clean, the women used it to make soups, cakes and bread.” (1) The forest and coastal location also provided wood, bark, grass, and reeds for making clothing, weapons, baskets, canoes and huts know as “wikiups”.



Taken from p. 46 of Missions and Missionaries of California by Engelhardt, Zephyrin (1920).


The Acagchemem Indians first tried to fight the missionaries but were no match for the guns of the Spanish soldiers. Some of the Indians were happy because the missionaries taught them how to make arts, crafts and better tools. Others were upset because the Spanish brought over a lot of new sicknesses and disease. The daily life at the Mission was not very good for the Acachemem. They were forced to work hard, couldn’t leave the mission and didn’t like being controlled. When the missionaries fought the Spanish Government for their independence, the Acachemem worked extra hard to help the soldier of “New Spain” only to be treated by slaves by the new Mexican Government.




The Mission San Juan Capistrano Today


By the late 1800’s the Mission was in ruins. Today however, the Mission San Juan Capistrano is being restored.

Photograph by Robert A. Estremo, copyright 2005


The mission is now known for many interesting facts including the “Mission Grape”, the Criolla that was first planted there. The first wine produced in California was produced at the Mission’s winery.


The Mission is a very popular place to visit. “About half-a-million visitors, including 80,000 school children, come to the Mission each year. And, while the ruins of “The Great Stone Church” (which was all but leveled by an 1812 earthquake) are a renowned architectural wonder, the Mission is perhaps best known for the annual “Return of the Swallows”. (2)


These birds have built their summer homes at the Mission for centuries. “Unless they have been delayed in their flight from Argentina by an unseasonable tropical storm, they return to build their mud nests at San Juan with a dependability that allows major television and press schedule of a media event for March 19th.” (3)




Bibliography


(1)Edgar, Kathlenn J. and Edgar, Susan E.
The Missions of Californa, Mission San Juan Capistrano
The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
New York, NY
2000


(2)Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Juan_Capistrano

Mission San Juan Capistrano
February 15, 2010
Wikimedia Foundation
February 15, 2010


(3)Foster, Lee
Beauty of the California Missions
LTA Publishing Company
Portland, OR
1990