Posted
on June 13, 2015
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in the 1700s, Spaniards explored what they called “Alto California”
(and what we now call California), and every once in a while they
founded a mission. These religious (and, honestly, military) outposts
of the Spanish empire were meant to spread Christianity to local
Native Americans and to colonize the region for Spain.
At
the missions, priests and other Spanish settlers trained Indians to
grow European fruits and vegetables, to raise cattle and horses, to
tan hides and to make candles—basically to become Spanish colonial
citizens.
It
sounds kind of nice and peaceful, if you don't think too hard about
it – but of course the destruction done to Native American
populations and cultures was immense. Many peoples lost their
languages, their belief systems, and their traditions; many people
became sick with viruses that they had no immunity against; and of
course some Native Americans who resisted adopting Spanish ways were
forced to do so, anyway, or were killed.
Catholic
priests called Jesuits had founded 15 missions in Baja California
(which is now part of Mexico) in the mid-1700s, but in 1767 King
Charles III ordered the Jesuits to be expelled from the missions and
returned to Spain, and Catholic priests of a different order,
Franciscans, took charge of the outposts and were also in charge of
continuing to found new missions. They ended up starting 21 missions
in Alta California.
(I
wondered why the King ousted the Jesuits in favor of the Franciscans.
It turned out it was about power and politics rather than about
religious beliefs.)
The
treatment of the Native Americans by the Spaniards varied over time
and also from settlement to settlement and mission to mission. The
mission that was founded on this date in 1798, Mission San Luis Rey
de Francia, was largely run by Fray Peyri, and he treated Indians
much better than did most of the padres.
Because
of that, way fewer Indians ran away, and the mission was more
successful.
Fast
facts
Mission
San Luis Rey is located in the present-day city of Oceanside,
California.It was #18 to be founded (out of 21 in Alta California).
The
current church was built in 1811. In the 14 years between founding
and the building of the current church, there were two other churches
built on the site. The first was small, simple – just an adobe
building. The second church was a larger adobe building with a tiled
roof. This 1811 building was constructed during the peak of the
mission's success, and it is one of the largest of the missions.
Walt
Disney filmed the first seasons of the Zorro TV series at this
mission.
The
first Peruvian Pepper Tree ever planted in California was planted at
Mission San Luis Rey – and it still stands (you can see it behind
the ruins of this arch).
“San
Luis Rey de Francia” means "Saint Louis the King of France." It refers to the French King Louis IX. You might wonder why a Spanish mission was named after
a French king, but:
(1) Louis IX had some Spanish ancestors,
(2) he was
taught by early Franciscans, and the Franciscans were the ones
founding and naming the missions, and
(3) he died fighting in the
Crusades and was made a saint in 1297.
The
mission has four bells that hang in a three-story domed bell tower.
The
mission is the only surviving mission church laid out in a cross
shape (which is called a “cruciform plan”).
The
mission has a sunken garden and lavanderia (laundry) that can be
reached by going down 46 steps. Two springs provided the water, which
was piped to come out of the mouths of sculpted gargoyles.
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