By Janet Esposito
Introduction
The 21 missions that comprise California’s Historic Mission Trail along the coastline are a physical timeline of the growth and development of what would later become the state of California. It’s difficult to overstate the influence these missions had on California – not just historically but an influence that continues to reverberate today. In a matter of 54 years, Franciscan missionaries, colonists, and Spanish troops had spread from San Diego to Sonoma to create thriving agricultural communities which would become the largest cities in the state, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco. The route forged through this untamed wilderness was named El Camino Real (The Royal Road) and historically facilitated the spread of new cultural and religious ideas, but is now one of the main arteries within the state and an essential part of our modern lives. The missions were about 30 miles from one another, or about one day’s journey by horse, and formed a network of support and trade lines that fundamentally changed the entire state. From architecture, to building techniques; from agricultural practices to invasive plant species; from government to land rights; from art to cuisine and so much more – the California we know today was formed on the foundation of these missions.
A Brief History
Under Spanish rule, the missions were meant to spread Christianity while providing a foothold in the wild California frontier that remained unclaimed by Western nations. While reaching for the abstract achievements of civilization and religion, the practical goal of each mission was to become self-sufficient as quickly as possible. Overland routes were dangerous or non-existent and shipping by sea was constrained by the size limitations of the vessels on a journey that took several weeks one way. The missions also supported the five presidios, or forts, with the necessary food, materials, and trade items to sustain the people and military operations. In order to accomplish all of this, thousands of Native Californian Indians were conscripted into a life of forced manual labor. Along with independence from Spain, Mexico decided to secularize the missions and release the imprisoned groups of Native Americans. Many of the missions collapsed without this reliable source of captive, cheap labor.
Teaching and Learning about California Missions Today
Thousands of students have recreated California missions in miniature in 4th grade classrooms for decades, however, this rite of passage often did little to teach kids. Instead of purchasing expensive kits or spending hours gluing together popsicle sticks and sugar cubes, we need to focus on making real connections to our history that engage our students. It’s important that we allow our students to learn about this challenging and fundamental part of California history with a critical eye – examining both the gory and the glory, without glossing over either.
Online Resources
A good place to start is a review of some of the recent changes to the 4th grade social science framework published by the state in 2016: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/documents/hssfwchapter7.pdf. There are also many quality resources available online, including nonprofits (http://californiamissionsfoundation.org/the-california-missions/, http://www.missionscalifornia.com/), the University of California (https://calisphere.org/exhibitions/7/california-missions/#overview), the State Parks Department (https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22679), and independent sites (http://www.californias-missions.org/, http://californiamissionguide.com/). These sites have great ideas for lesson plans, links to virtual tours, and quizzes with helpful links to standards and accompanying rubrics.
Connecting Missions to the Classroom
Each classroom or homeschooling family must select curriculum to support their unique learning situations, but it’s essential to help your students make real connections to history – the goal is not to memorize a bunch of meaningless dates. Instead, try introducing the topic through family and community structures within the Native and Spanish communities within the mission. One public school teacher reported holding Mission Day each year, which included tortilla making, leather tooling, butter making and farming – and how those different roles supported one another. By assigning traditional roles to each student, this teacher helped the students gain a first-hand understanding of a small piece of daily life, while also learning how that small piece was an essential part of the larger, complex system sustaining the mission. Another excellent idea reported, is creating graphic organizers to compare and contrast the physical geography and weather of the missions. The goal is to show that missions often shared many physical characteristics, including a source of fresh water, access to trees for heat and building materials, favorable weather for agriculture, and other physical attributes that proved advantageous to the success of the mission. This success helped the Spanish to continue establishing missions and to gain control of the surrounding areas.
Individual Missions
You can also investigate how the missions served other purposes in the community and how they are still being used today. Many missions were integral parts of the community, even after they were secularized, following Mexican independence. In addition to maintaining the Camino Real and providing safe haven to travelers, the missions often served the surrounding communities in ways unique to the specific area. When learning about a specific mission, make sure to incorporate how that mission influenced the local community. One of the missions, San Juan Capistrano, in Orange County, is known far outside of California for the cliff swallows that once migrated there from Argentina each year. This mission was also the site of the first vineyard and winery in California.
Try exploring the Native California Indians and their culture that existed prior to the mission. There are a ton of resources online, such as images and content about Chumash rock paintings (http://www.150.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27651), modern-day versions of native recipes (https://www.culinarykidsacademy.com/all-recipes/2018/5/2/quick-and-easy-chumash-acorn-bread), and even videos of traditional native music and dance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpKhTKUB6yM) that students can experience for themselves. Or investigate the influence of Native Californians on popular culture – one little-known fact is that the Klingon language from Star Trek is loosely based on the languages of the Miwok and Coastal Chumash Indians!
Ask students to trace how the humble orchard of transplanted fruit at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel gave birth to the California citrus industry – all in an effort to prevent scurvy. In 1804 the Mission had 400 seedling citrus trees to supply fruit to the Spanish galleons carrying Mexican gold back to the crown. Or try to connect popular culture and outside interests to historical content. For instance, students interested in pirates and the adventures of the high seas might be interested to learn about that the missions were often poorly defended and sometimes raided by pirates. Mission San Buenaventura was threatened by French pirates in 1818, forcing residents inland several miles until the danger passed. And for students interested in spooky stories, La Purísima Concepción is said to be haunted and has been highlighted on television shows about the paranormal. While you may not see any ghosts during your visit, this mission is a fantastic field trip and because it operates as a living history museum, kids really get a feel for the historical life on the mission.
California Missions Today
Thankfully, all 21 missions can still be visited today but many of the buildings are not original or have been significantly changed over time. Many of the missions fell into disrepair following the release of the captive Native population and were no longer used to support a large community. San Miguel contains the only surviving original church interior, including original Native American motifs, colorful ornamentation and a richly decorated altarpiece – all authentic historical artifacts that surround you and transport visitors back in time. Thankfully, the mission was located in a small rural area that had little money and was subsequently all but forgotten. Unlike other missions that received “facelifts” of new plaster or remodeling that stripped away the original materials, San Miguel was left alone. And with the effort of modern technology, you can even visit buildings that are no longer physically there (http://californiamissionsfoundation.org/virtual-tour/ ), such as the Indian Quarters that once housed about one thousand Native Californians, known as Salinans. Through terrestrial and ground penetrating radar scans, an imaging team has been working to allow viewers to experience the reality of living in the Indian housing structures during the height of the Spanish Missions. And although none escaped as intact as San Miguel, each of the missions had a different journey into the modern era. For example, both Santa Barbara and Santa Ines churches have been in operation almost since the day they were established, while a restored version of San Francisco de Asis is now used as a chapel for the larger parish church next door.
