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Rancho Santa Anita was a 13,319-acre (53.90 km) land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California given to naturalized Scottish immigrant Hugo Reid and his Kizh people wife. Reid built an adobe residence there in 1839, and the land grant was formally recognized by Governor Pio Pico in 1845. The land grant covered all or portions of the present day cities of Arcadia , Monrovia , Sierra Madre , Pasadena and San Marino . A small portion of the rancho has been preserved as the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden .

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76-653: The land granted to Reid was previously owned by the Mission San Gabriel . The San Gabriel Mission was founded in 1771 as the 4th of the Spanish missions in California. The San Gabriel Mission planted acres of land, in with: wheat , barley , corn , beans , peas lentils , fruit trees and vineyards . The land also grazed about 20,000 head of cattle. After the Mexican War of Independence in 1821,

152-532: A "mother" mission. However, the plan's expansion never came to fruition. In addition to the presidio (royal fort) and pueblo (town), the misión was one of the three major agencies employed by the Spanish sovereign to extend its borders and consolidate its colonial territories. Asistencias ("satellite" or "sub" missions, sometimes referred to as "contributing chapels") were small-scale missions that regularly conducted Mass on days of obligation but lacked

228-463: A barred window. After the marriage ceremony the woman moved out of the mission compound and into one of the family huts. These "nunneries" were considered a necessity by the priests, who felt the women needed to be protected from the men, both Indian and de razón ("instructed men", i.e. Europeans). The cramped and unsanitary conditions the girls lived in contributed to the fast spread of disease and population decline . So many died at times that many of

304-788: A cemetery. There is also a gift shop. As part of the William McPherson Collection in the Special Collections at the Claremont Colleges ' Honnold/Mudd Library, the San Gabriel Mission are a valuable resource for research on the pre-statehood activities of the Mission. William McPherson was a rancher, scholar, and collector from Orange County, California , who donated his extensive collection of mission documents, primarily from

380-442: A colony of any size. California was months away from the nearest base in colonized Mexico, and the cargo ships of the day were too small to carry more than a few months' rations in their holds. To sustain a mission, the padres required converted Native Americans , called neophytes , to cultivate crops and tend livestock in the volume needed to support a fair-sized establishment. The scarcity of imported materials, together with

456-454: A dead body over a smoky fire. Visitors can tour the church, museum and grounds. The adobe museum building was built in 1812 and was originally used for sleeping quarters and book storage. Exhibits include mission relics, books and religious artifacts. The grounds feature operations from the original mission complex, including indoor and outdoor kitchens, winery, water cisterns, soap and candle vats, tanning vats for preparing cattle hides, and

532-481: A lack of skilled laborers, compelled the missionaries to employ simple building materials and methods in the construction of mission structures. Although the missions were considered temporary ventures by the Spanish hierarchy , the development of an individual settlement was not simply a matter of "priestly whim." The founding of a mission followed longstanding rules and procedures; the paperwork involved required months, sometimes years of correspondence, and demanded

608-813: A portion of the rancho to establish the town of Arcadia . In February 1881, Nathaniel Carter (Jan. 24, 1840 – Sept. 2, 1904) purchased 845 acres of Rancho Santa Anita, along with two other purchases, to form the new town of Sierra Madre, California . In 1875, Lucky's Los Angeles Investment Company began subdividing and selling parcels from many of his ranchos. In 1883, 240 acres (970,000 m) of Rancho Santa Anita were sold to William Monroe for $ 30,000. Additional parcels of Rancho Santa Anita were sold to Edward F. Spence, John D. Bicknell , James F. Crank , and J.F. Falvey. 34°07′12″N 118°01′48″W  /  34.120°N 118.030°W  / 34.120; -118.030 Mission San Gabriel Mission San Gabriel Arcángel ( Spanish : Misión de San Gabriel Arcángel )

684-488: A resident priest; as with the missions, these settlements were typically established in areas with high concentrations of potential native converts. The Spanish Californians had never strayed from the coast when establishing their settlements; Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad was located farthest inland, being only some thirty miles (48 kilometers) from the shore. Each frontier station was forced to be self-supporting, as existing means of supply were inadequate to maintain

760-494: A scarcity of land for agriculture and potable water left the success of such a venture in doubt, so no effort to found an island mission was ever made. In September 1821, the Rev. Mariano Payeras, " Comisario Prefecto " of the California missions, visited Cañada de Santa Ysabel east of Mission San Diego de Alcalá as part of a plan to establish an entire chain of inland missions. The Santa Ysabel Asistencia had been founded in 1818 as

836-478: A two-hour siesta , and ended with evening prayers and the rosary , supper, and social activities. About 90 days out of each year were designated as religious or civil holidays, free from manual labor . The labor organization of the missions resembled a slave plantation in many respects. Foreigners who visited the missions remarked at how the priests' control over the Indians appeared excessive, but necessary given

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912-409: A wide area for raising cattle, sheep and other livestock. These included; San Pasqual, Santa Anita, Azusa, San Francisquito, Cucumonga, San Antonio, San Bernardino, San Gorgonio, Yucaipa, Jurupa, Guapa, Rincon, Chino, San Jose, Ybarras, Puente, Mission Vieja, Serranos, Rosa de Castilla, Coyotes, Jabonaria, Las Bolsas, Alamitos, and Cerritos. When Rancho San Gorgonio was established in 1824, in what today

988-697: Is a Californian mission and historic landmark in San Gabriel, California . It was founded by the Spanish Empire on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary ," September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become twenty-one Spanish missions in California . San Gabriel Arcángel was named after the Archangel Gabriel and often referred to as the "Godmother of the Pueblo of Los Angeles." The mission

1064-691: Is in Pasadena. Citrus, walnuts, avocados, and pecans still live where he planted them. Chapman also grew peas, lentils, and wheat. Chapman Avenue, and Chapman University were named after the West Point graduate who owned part of the Silverado Mine in Orange County. In the 1920s, Jim Stewart and Ben Quigley subdivided Chapman Woods. In 1875, Newmark sold Rancho Santa Anita to Elias Jackson ("Lucky") Baldwin for $ 200,000. Lucky moved into

1140-905: Is known as the San Gorgonio Pass , it became the most distant rancho operated by the San Gabriel Mission. Many of the Native Americans lived in communities called rancherías . "The names of the rancherías associated with San Gabriel Mission were: Acuragna, Alyeupkigna , Awigna , Azucsagna , Cahuenga , Chokishgna , Chowigna , Cucomogna , Hahamogna, Harasgna , Houtgna, Hutucgna, Isanthcogna , Maugna , Nacaugna , Pascegna, Pasinogna , Pimocagna , Pubugna , Sibagna , Sisitcanogna , Sonagna , Suangna , Tibahagna, Toviscanga , Toybipet, Yangna." To efficiently manage its extensive lands, Mission San Gabriel established several outlying sub-missions, known as asistencias . Several of these became or were included in land grants following

1216-579: Is the oldest and first Catholic cemetery in the state of California. A large stone cross stands in the center of the Campo Santo ( cemetery ), first consecrated in 1778 and then again on January 29, 1939, by the Los Angeles Archbishop John Cantwell . It serves as the final resting place for some 6,000 "neophytes;" a small stone marker denotes the gravesite of José de los Santos, the last American Indian to be buried on

1292-616: The Camino Real . The detailed planning and direction of the missions was to be carried out by Friar Junípero Serra , O.F.M. (who, in 1767, along with his fellow priests , had taken control over a group of missions in Baja California Peninsula previously administered by the Jesuits). After Serra's death, Rev. Fermín Francisco de Lasuén established nine more mission sites, from 1786 through 1798; others established

1368-565: The Mexican secularization of the missions in the 1830s, including: In 1816, the Mission built a grist mill on a nearby creek. El Molino Viejo still stands, now preserved as a museum and historic landmark. Other mission industries included cowhide tanning/exporting and tallow-rendering (for making soap and for export), lime kilns , tile making, cloth weaving for blankets and clothing, and adobe bricks. Bells were important to daily life at any mission. They were rung to mark mealtimes, to call

1444-540: The Mexican secularization act of 1833 was passed. Starting in 1834 Mexico took away much of the Catholic Church's Mission land and sold it as Ranchos. Reid was a Scot who became a Mexican citizen, thus being eligible to own Mexican land. To comply with Mexican law for the land grant of 13,319 acres, he built an adobe house and lived here with his wife, Victoria. In 1847, Reid sold Rancho Santa Anita to his Rancho Azusa neighbor, Henry Dalton for $ 2,700. With

1520-482: The Tongva residents) being the most likely locations, the reasoning being that an offshore mission might have attracted potential people to convert who were not living on the mainland, and could have been an effective measure to restrict smuggling operations. Governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga approved the plan the following year; however, an outbreak of sarampión ( measles ) killing some 200 Tongva people coupled with

1596-527: The Whittier Narrows . The site of the Misión Vieja (or "Old Mission") is located near the intersection of San Gabriel Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue. The mission was built and run using what has been described as slave labor from nearby Tongva villages, such as Yaanga and was built on the site of the village of Toviscanga . When the nearby Pueblo de los Ángeles was built in 1781,

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1672-745: The cession of California to the United States following the Mexican–American War , the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was patented to Henry Dalton in 1866. Joseph Andrew Rowe lived in the rancho for several years after purchasing it in 1854 for $ 33,000. In 1858, Albert Dibblee (1816–1895) and William Corbett bought

1748-511: The syndicated television anthology series Death Valley Days , hosted by Stanley Andrews . As a child portrayed in the segment by Peter J. Votrian, Miguel provides funds acquired from a wealthy nobleman to sweeten the tone of the bell at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. Years later, the ringing of the bell saves his life when he is a young monk stranded in the desert in the Death Valley country. The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel Cemetery

1824-530: The 1850s, squatters set upon the mission, converting part of it into a saloon which had both felons and a justice of the peace as customers; it was opened by former San Diego Mayor Joshua Bean . The Mission's chapel functioned as a parish church for the City of San Gabriel from 1862 until 1908, when the Claretian Missionaries came to San Gabriel and began the job of rebuilding and restoring

1900-533: The 300-year-old work hangs in front of and slightly to the left of the old high altar and reredos in the Mission's sanctuary . Resistance to the mission by the Tongva was recorded and how much the neophytes embraced Catholicism remains a subject of debate among scholars. In August 1771, the Portolà expedition , which consisted of "ten Spanish soldiers and two Franciscan priests, encountered armed Tongva Indians on

1976-498: The French, and financing for military payroll and missions in California ceased. In 1821, Mexico achieved independence from Spain , yet did not send a governor to California until 1824. The missions maintained authority over indigenous peoples and land holdings until the 1830s. At the peak of their influence in 1832, the coastal mission system controlled approximately one-sixth of Alta California. The First Mexican Republic secularized

2052-487: The Hugo Reid's adobe house by the natural lake. In 1881 he built a white Queen Anne style house at the lake also a Queen Anne style coach barn for his prized horse. Lucky loved horses, he initially founded a racetrack on Rancho Santa Anita in 1904. The racetrack closed in 1909 and burned down in 1912. In 1934, the current Santa Anita Park opened as a thoroughbred horse-racing track. In the latter 1880s, Baldwin subdivided

2128-579: The Indian residents of the missions urged the priests to raid new villages to supply them with more women. As of December 31, 1832 (the peak of the mission system's development) the mission padres had performed a combined total of 87,787 baptisms and 24,529 marriages, and recorded 63,789 deaths. The death rate at the missions, particularly of children, was very high and the majority of children baptized did not survive childhood. At Mission San Gabriel , for instance, three of four children died before reaching

2204-405: The Indians their style of agriculture, the mechanical arts, and the raising and care of livestock. The missions, utilizing the labor of the neophytes , produced everything they used and consumed. After 1811, the mission Indians could be said to sustain the entire military and civil government of California. Ranchos (not to be confused with secular government land-grant ranchos) were established in

2280-585: The Mission Period); under Mexican rule the number rose to 21,066 (in 1824, the record year during the entire era of the Franciscan missions). During the entire period of Mission rule, from 1769 to 1834, the Franciscans baptized 53,600 adult Indians and buried 37,000. Dr. Cook estimates that 15,250 or 45% of the population decrease was caused by disease. Two epidemics of measles , one in 1806 and

2356-648: The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, to Special Collections in 1964. The matrimonial records span 1788 to 1861 and are notarized interviews with couples wanting to marry in the Roman Catholic Church, performed to establish the couples' freedom to marry. The collection includes 165 investigations, with 173 men and 170 women. Because the donated records are fragile, they are no longer available to be photocopied. The California Digital Library has an online guide available to search

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2432-413: The Mission residents to work and to religious services, to mark births and funerals, to signal the approach of a ship or a returning missionary, and at other times; novices were instructed in the intricate rituals associated with the ringing of the mission bells. The mission bells were also used to tell time. The actor Gil Frye portrayed Father Miguel Sánchez in a 1953 episode, "The Bell of San Gabriel," of

2508-474: The Mission. In 1874, tracks were laid for Southern Pacific Railroad near the mission. In 2012, artifacts from the mission era were found when the tracks were lowered into a trench known as the Alameda Corridor -East. On October 1, 1987, the Whittier Narrows earthquake damaged the property. A significant portion of the original complex has since been restored. Fire completely destroyed the roof of

2584-667: The Spanish colonizers of the New World with the purpose of totally assimilating indigenous populations into European culture and the Catholic religion. It was a doctrine established in 1531, which based the Spanish state's right over the land and persons of the Indies on the Papal charge to evangelize them. It was employed wherever the indigenous populations were not already concentrated in native pueblos . Indians were congregated around

2660-480: The age of 2. Nearly 6,000 Tongva lie buried in the grounds of the San Gabriel Mission. There were reports throughout this period of Indigenous peoples fleeing the conditions at the Mission. For example, in 1808, the missionaries sent Spanish soldier José Palomares after some neophytes who had fled the mission. Escapees traveled as far as the Serrano village of Wá’peat to escape the Mission. Palomares observed

2736-657: The age of two. The high rate of death at the missions have been attributed to several factors, including disease, torture, overworking, malnourishment, and cultural genocide . Forcing native people into close quarters at the missions spread disease quickly. While being kept at the missions, native people were transitioned to a Spanish diet that left them more unable to ward off diseases, the most common being dysentery , fevers with unknown causes, and venereal disease . The death rate has been compared to that of other atrocities. American author and lawyer Carey McWilliams argued that "the Franciscan padres eliminated Indians with

2812-480: The attention of virtually every level of the bureaucracy. Once empowered to erect a mission in a given area, the men assigned to it chose a specific site that featured a good water supply, plenty of wood for fires and building materials, and ample fields for grazing herds and raising crops . The padres blessed the site, and with the aid of their military escort fashioned temporary shelters out of tree limbs or driven stakes, roofed with thatch or reeds ( cañas ). It

2888-705: The banks of the Santa Ana River ." One month later, Mission San Gabriel was founded on September 8, 1771, by Fray Ángel Fernández de la Somera and Fray Pedro Benito Cambón. The planned site for the Mission was along the banks of the Río de los Temblores (the River of the Earthquakes—the Santa Ana River). The priests chose an alternate site on a fertile plain located directly alongside the Río Hondo in

2964-640: The close quarters of the missions, causing mass death. Abuse, malnourishment, and overworking were common. At least 87,787 baptisms and 63,789 deaths occurred. Indigenous peoples often resisted and rejected conversion to Christianity . Some fled the missions while others formed rebellions. Missionaries recorded frustrations with getting indigenous people to internalize Catholic scripture and practice. Indigenous girls were taken away from their parents and housed at monjeríos . The missions' role in destroying Indigenous culture has been described as cultural genocide . By 1810, Spain's king had been imprisoned by

3040-576: The collection. Spanish missions in California This is an accepted version of this page The Spanish missions in California ( Spanish : Misiones españolas en California ) formed a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California . The missions were established by Catholic priests of the Franciscan order to evangelize indigenous peoples backed by

3116-456: The early 20th century. They have become a symbol of California, appearing in many movies and television shows, and are an inspiration for Mission Revival architecture . Concerns have been raised by historians and Indigenous peoples of California about the way the mission period in California is taught in educational institutions and memorialized . The oldest European settlements of California were formed around or near Spanish missions, including

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3192-785: The effectiveness of Nazis operating concentration camps ." (2,685 children) 2,869 people in 1826 1,701 people in 1817 1,320 people in 1834 1,080 people in 1819 1,330 people in 1816 770 people in 1816 334 people remaining in 1834 1,520 people in 1804 407 people in remaining in 1834 852 people in 1803 1,076 people in 1814 599 people remaining in 1834 1,296 people in 1805 725 people in 1805 300 people remaining 644 people in 1798 250 people remaining in 1834 927 people in 1790, 1,464 in 1827 1,754 people in 1820 1,140 people in 1828 Less than 500 people remaining 996 people in 1832 About 550 people remaining At least 90,000 Indigenous peoples were kept in well-guarded mission compounds throughout

3268-530: The escapees at the village and attempted to negotiate with the chief of the village for their return. However, the chief refused. Although San Gabriel once furnished food and supplies to settlements and other missions throughout California, a majority of the Mission structures fell into ruins after it was secularized in November 1834. The once-extensive vineyards were falling to decay, with fences broken down and animals roaming freely through it. During part of

3344-458: The founding expedition was confronted by a large group of native Tongva peoples whose intention was to drive the strangers away. One of the priests laid a painting of "Our Lady of Sorrows" on the ground for all to see, whereupon the natives, designated by the settlers as the Gabrieleños , immediately made peace with the missionaries, because they were so moved by the painting's beauty. Today

3420-467: The four largest: Los Angeles , San Diego , San Jose , and San Francisco . Santa Barbara , and Santa Cruz were also formed near missions, and the historical imprint reached as far north as Sonoma in what became the wine country. Prior to 1754, grants of mission lands were made directly by the Spanish Crown. But, given the remote locations and the inherent difficulties in communicating with

3496-409: The geographic features of the particular site. Once the spot for the church had been selected, its position was marked and the remainder of the mission complex was laid out. The workshops , kitchens , living quarters, storerooms, and other ancillary chambers were usually grouped in the form of a quadrangle , inside which religious celebrations and other festive events often took place. The cuadrángulo

3572-675: The grounds, at the age of 101 in February 1921. It is the oldest and first cemetery in the state of California. Also interred at the Mission are the bodies of numerous Franciscan priests who died during their time of service, as well as the remains of Reverend Raymond Catalan, C.M.F., who undertook the restoration of the Mission's gardens. Entombed at the foot of the altar are the remains of eight Franciscan priests (listed in order of interment): Miguel Sánchez, Antonio Cruzado, Francisco Dumetz , Ramón Ulibarri, Joaquín P. Núñez, Gerónimo Boscana , José Bernardo Sánchez , and Blas Ordaz. Buried among

3648-673: The last three compounds, along with at least five asistencias (mission assistance outposts). Work on the coastal mission chain was concluded in 1823, completed after Serra's death in 1784. Plans to build a twenty-second mission in Santa Rosa in 1827 were canceled. The Rev. Pedro Estévan Tápis proposed establishing a mission on one of the Channel Islands in the Pacific Ocean off San Pedro Harbor in 1784, with either Santa Catalina or Santa Cruz (known as Limú to

3724-455: The lodge, and drove part of them back.... On the road they did the same with those of the lodge at San Jose. On arriving home the men were instructed to throw their bows and arrows at the feet of the priest, and make due submission. The infants were then baptized, as were also all children under eight years of age; the former were left with their mothers, but the latter kept apart from all communication with their parents. The consequence was, first,

3800-408: The men engaged in building. The men worked a variety of jobs, having learned from the missionaries how to plow, sow, irrigate, cultivate, reap, thresh, and glean. They were taught to build adobe houses, tan leather hides, shear sheep, weave rugs and clothing from wool, make ropes, soap, paint, and other useful duties. The work day was six hours, interrupted by dinner (lunch) around 11:00 a.m. and

3876-616: The military force of the Spanish Empire . The missions were part of the expansion and settlement of New Spain through the formation of Alta California , expanding the empire into the most northern and western parts of Spanish North America . Civilian settlers and soldiers accompanied missionaries and formed settlements like the Pueblo de Los Ángeles . Indigenous peoples were forced into settlements called reductions , disrupting their traditional way of life and negatively affecting as many as one thousand villages. European diseases spread in

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3952-458: The mission by early December. The mission officially reopened in July 2023. The goal of the missions was to become self-sufficient in relatively short order. Farming was the most important industry of any mission. Prior to the missions, the Native Americans had developed a complex, self-sufficient culture. The mission priests established what they thought of as a manual training school: to teach

4028-545: The mission competed with the emerging pueblo for control of Indigenous labor. The expedition of Juan Bautista de Anza visited the mission in January and February 1776, having previous been there in 1774. In 1776, a flash flood destroyed much of the crops and ruined the original Mission complex, which was subsequently relocated five miles closer to the mountains in present-day San Gabriel (the Tongva settlement of Toviscanga or 'Iisanchanga). The Tongva village of Shevaanga

4104-580: The mission proper through forced resettlement, in which the Spanish "reduced" them from what they perceived to be a free "undisciplined'" state with the ambition of converting them into "civilized" members of colonial society. The civilized and disciplined culture of the natives, developed over 8,000 years, was not considered. A total of 146 Friars Minor , mostly Spaniards by birth, were ordained as priests and served in California between 1769 and 1845. Sixty-seven missionaries died at their posts (two as martyrs : Padres Luis Jayme and Andrés Quintana ), while

4180-410: The missions out of curiosity and sincere desire to participate and engage in trade, many found themselves trapped once they were baptized . On the other hand, Indians staffed the militias at each mission and had a role in mission governance. To the padres , a baptized Indian person was no longer free to move about the country, but had to labor and worship at the mission under the strict observance of

4256-403: The missions with the Mexican secularization act of 1833 , which emancipated indigenous peoples from the missions. Mission lands were largely given to settlers and soldiers, along with a minority of indigenous people. The surviving mission buildings are the state of California's oldest structures and most-visited historic monuments, many of which were restored after falling into near disrepair in

4332-458: The missions, or they would allow them to visit their home village. However, the Franciscans would only allow this so that they could secretly follow the neophytes. Upon arriving to the village and capturing the runaways, they would take back Indians to the missions, sometimes as many as 200 to 300 Indians. On one occasion," writes Hugo Reid , "they went as far as the present Rancho del Chino, where they tied and whipped every man, woman and child in

4408-498: The most prolific in the chain of missions. Tongva people from nearby settlements like Akuranga village were affected by the practices of Franciscan missionaries, who attempted to "eradicate what they perceived as ills within Tongva society" through "religious indoctrination, labor, restructuring of gender structures, and violence," which took place at and around the Mission. A missionary during this period reported that three out of four children died at Mission San Gabriel before reaching

4484-467: The original church sanctuary on July 11, 2020. Prior to the fire, the mission was undergoing renovation, saving some paintings and artifacts. An investigation into the origin of the fire was opened. On May 5, 2021, John David Corey, age 57, was charged with felony counts of arson and burglary for setting the fire. An invitation-only Mass was celebrated in September 2022 with hope of permanently opening

4560-503: The other in 1828, caused many deaths. The mortality rates were so high that the missions were constantly dependent upon new conversions. Young native women were required to reside in the monjerío (or "nunnery") under the supervision of a trusted Indian matron who bore the responsibility for their welfare and education. Women only left the convent after they had been "won" by an Indian suitor and were deemed ready for marriage. Following Spanish custom, courtship took place on either side of

4636-400: The priests and overseers, who herded them to daily masses and labors. If an Indian did not report for their duties for a period of a few days, they were searched for, and if it was discovered that they had left without permission, they were considered runaways. Large-scale military expeditions were organized to round up the escaped neophytes. Sometimes, the Franciscans allowed neophytes to escape

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4712-525: The priests is centenarian Eulalia Pérez de Guillén Mariné , the "keeper of the keys" under Spanish rule; her grave is marked by a bench dedicated in her memory, and Victoria Reid , a woman from Comicranga , who was taken to the mission at a young age and became a respected figure in Mexican California . The Tongva people have their own ceremony and traditions after death. A 1724 engraving depicts Native Americans (most likely Tongva) carrying

4788-486: The priests' direction. Indians were initially attracted into the mission compounds by gifts of food, colored beads, bits of bright cloth, and trinkets. Once a Native American " gentile " was baptized, they were labeled a neophyte , or new believer. This happened only after a brief period during which the initiates were instructed in the most basic aspects of the Catholic faith. But, while many natives were lured to join

4864-442: The rancho and who held it until 1864. Then 1865, 11,319 acres of Rancho Santa Anita, sold or $ 20,000 to William Wolfskills. William's son, Luis Wolfskill, sold 8,500 acres with the lake to Los Angeles merchant Harris Newmark for $ 85,000. In 1869, Alfred Beck Chapman (born 1829, died 1915) bought 1,786 acres of Rancho Santa Anita, and built a home near modern California Boulevard and Ivydale Court, Chapman Woods. Chapman Woods Road

4940-503: The remainder returned to Europe due to illness, or upon completing their ten-year service commitment. As the rules of the Franciscan Order forbade friars to live alone, two missionaries were assigned to each settlement, sequestered in the mission's convento . To these the governor assigned a guard of five or six soldiers under the command of a corporal, who generally acted as steward of the mission's temporal affairs, subject to

5016-559: The ringing the mission bells. The daily routine began with sunrise Mass and morning prayers , followed by instruction of the natives in the teachings of the Roman Catholic faith. After a breakfast of atole , the able-bodied men and women were assigned their tasks for the day. The women were committed to dressmaking, knitting, weaving, embroidering, laundering, and cooking, while some of the stronger girls ground flour or carried adobe bricks (weighing 55 lb , or 25 kg each) to

5092-431: The state as de facto slaves . The policy of the Franciscans was to keep them constantly occupied. Bells were vitally important to daily life at any mission. The bells were rung at mealtimes, to call the Mission residents to work and to religious services, during births and funerals, to signal the approach of a ship or returning missionary, and at other times; novices were instructed in the intricate rituals associated with

5168-473: The territorial governments, he delegated authority to make grants to the viceroys of New Spain. During the reign of King Charles III , they granted lands to allow establishing the Alta California missions. They were motivated in part by presence of Russian fur traders along the California coast in the mid 1700s. The missions were to be interconnected by an overland route which later became known as

5244-424: The time who could not compete economically with the advantage of the mission system. The Franciscans began to send neophytes to work as servants of Spanish soldiers in the presidios . Each presidio was provided with land, el rancho del rey, which served as a pasture for the presidio livestock and as a source of food for the soldiers. Theoretically the soldiers were supposed to work on this land themselves but within

5320-545: The white men's isolation and numeric disadvantage. Subsequently, the Missions operated under strict and harsh conditions; A 'light' punishment would've been considered 25 lashings (azotes). Indians were not paid wages as they were not considered free laborers and, as a result, the missions were able to profit from the goods produced by the Mission Indians to the detriment of the other Spanish and Mexican settlers of

5396-437: The women consented to the rite and received it, for the love they bore their children; and finally the males gave way for the purpose of enjoying once more the society of wife and family. Marriage was then performed, and so this contaminated race, in their own sight and that of their kindred, became followers of Christ. A total of 20,355 natives were "attached" to the California missions in 1806 (the highest figure recorded during

5472-586: Was also located "close to the second location of Mission San Gabriel" after the original site was abandoned due to the flooding. On December 8, 1812 (the "Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin"), a series of massive earthquakes shook Southern California. The 1812 San Juan Capistrano earthquake caused the three-bell campanario , located adjacent to the chapel's east façade, to collapse. A larger, six-bell structure

5548-429: Was designed by Antonio Cruzado , who gave the building its capped buttresses and the tall narrow windows, which are unique among the missions of the California chain. It was completed in 1805. A large stone cross stands in the center of the Campo Santo ( cemetery ), first consecrated in 1778 and then again on January 29, 1939. It serves as the final resting place for some 6,000 neophytes . According to Spanish legend,

5624-579: Was rarely a perfect square because the missionaries had no surveying instruments at their disposal and simply measured off all dimensions by foot. Some fanciful accounts regarding the construction of the missions claimed that tunnels were incorporated in the design, to be used as a means of emergency egress in the event of attack; however, no historical evidence (written or physical) has ever been uncovered to support these assertions. The Alta California missions, known as reductions ( reducciones ) or congregations ( congregaciones ), were settlements founded by

5700-459: Was subsequently constructed at the far end of the Capilla . While no pictorial record exists to document what the original structure looked like, architectural historian Rexford Newcomb deduced the design and published a depiction in his 1916 work The Franciscan Mission Architecture of Alta (upper) California . Over 25,000 baptisms were conducted at San Gabriel between 1771 and 1834, making it

5776-406: Was these simple huts that ultimately gave way to the stone and adobe buildings that exist to the present. The first priority when beginning a settlement was the location and construction of the church ( iglesia ). The majority of mission sanctuaries were oriented on a roughly east–west axis to take the best advantage of the sun's position for interior illumination ; the exact alignment depended on

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