The Gift Shop/Mission will be closed on Good Friday, April 3rd, and Easter Sunday, April 5th. We will be open Holy Saturday, April 4th, from 10 am –

4 pm. Please plan your visit according to our holiday schedule.

The Curator’s Corner:

The Spanish philosophy of colonization has been termed Hispanization, "the assimilation of a conquered people into Spanish society by absorption of their own culture.” The Spaniard firmly believed that the greatest gift that he could give the Indian was to remake him in a Spanish mold, which included, of course, the Catholic religion. Since Church and State were united, the missionaries were expected to be the principal agents of colonization, and as loyal Spaniards, they willingly served as such, although motivated by the higher aim of winning souls for Christ. Methods varied in the different parts of the empire, but the mission system was in use throughout Spanish California. The Indians of a locality were gathered into a mission to be taught Christianity and the rudiments of European civilization. A mission was much more than a church, though the sacred place of worship was surely the heart of the mission. In addition, there were quarters for the padres, soldiers, and guests, homes for the Indians, workshops, storehouses, and acres and acres of land devoted to agriculture and livestock. Theoretically, the mission would continue until a native clergy had been developed, at which time the mission would be converted into a parish and the vast mission lands divided among the Indians.

The ultimate purpose of the Spanish Church and the Spanish government was to embody the converted Indians into Spanish society as “useful vassals of the Crown.” But if the Church and the government were to attain their purpose, then the converted Indians had to undergo at least three fundamental changes in their social life. First, they had to abandon their custom of avenging injury with death and accept Spanish laws. Secondly, they had to change their marriage customs. They cohabited, pairing off with various partners in succession, trying each other out, and finally arriving at a marital decision to which they would normally adhere more or less permanently unless or until a more attractive or advantageous partner entered their lives; whereupon a divorce and remarriage would take place, which meant that the new partners would simply begin to live with one another in a more acceptable pattern of housekeeping. Thirdly, the Indians had to acquire the Spanish concept of property rights, respecting the possessions of others, not only within the tribal unit but also outside it. It is evident that, if the Indians did not change these three elementary aspects of their social life, they could not normally be embodied into Spanish society as “useful vassals of the Crown.” It is quite clear from the above that the “Mission Indians” did not easily adjust to life in the Spanish world.

 To be continued…….