Visiting a Spanish Mission

Missions served two purposes - to convert Native Americans to Christianity and to turn them into productive Spanish subjects who would work to enlarge the Spanish Empire.  Missions taught Catholicism, the Spanish language and customs, and simple handcrafts.  The life was strict and varied little in routine from mission to mission.


San Jose Mission in 1778 was a successful, self-contained community where farming was the basic industry.  The strict daily routine could not be varied without punishment.  It began with the mission bell at sunrise, followed by morning prayer and hymns.  Breakfast was cooked by the women over an open fire and consisted of a roasted corn gruel.  During the morning hours young men did mission carpentry work while older men made arrows for the mission's defense.  The rest of the men worked the farm while mounted guards protected them from raiding tribes.  Women made baskets, clay pottery, and cloth while tendng the children

Lunch was the main meal and usually was a hearty soup with meat and vegetables.  Siesta followed during the hottest part of the day.  After siesta, farm workers returned to work, while women taught children, tended the sick and prepared for another meal.  Only older women could fish! 

The evening meal is a repeat of breakfast (the gruel was called "atole" and dinner was followed by supervised recreation.  Evening worship and instruction was led by a missionary.  On weeknights special hymns were sung.  Bedtime was sunset as the next day came too soon.

The Indians in the missions had a higher standard of living than many Spanish settlers.  Each family had their own apartment, a 11x16 foot room with an attached kitchen.  Bedsteads, buffalo hide mattresses, cotton sheets and wool blankets were provided.  Each person had two sets of clothes - one for work days and one for Sundays. 

Many Indians traded their freedom for the protection of the missions from raiding tribes.

Next time...we'll look more closely at the Southwest Native American tribes
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Today in Pioneer History:  On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire becomes the ninth and last necessary state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby making the document the law of the land.