The Old Franciscan Missions Of CaliforniaJames, George Wharton
Religion
The Old Franciscan Missions Of California
James, George Wharton
Franciscans -- California; Spanish mission buildings -- California
In 1776 certain gentiles, who were hostile to some Indians that were
sheltered by the padres, attacked the Mission by discharging burning
arrows upon the tule roof of the buildings, and everything was
destroyed, save the church and the granary. Rivera came at once,
captured two of the ringleaders, and sent them for punishment to the
Monterey presidio. The success of the gentiles led them to repeat their
attacks by setting fire to the Mission twice during the next ten years,
and it was these calamities that led one of the San Luis padres to
attempt the making of roof tiles. Being successful, it was not long
before all the Missions were so roofed.
In 1794 certain of the neophytes of San Luis and La Purísima conspired
with some gentiles to incite the Indians at San Luis to revolt, but the
arrest and deportation of fifteen or twenty of the ringleaders to
Monterey, to hard labor at the presidio, put a stop to the revolt.
Padres Lasuen and Tapis both served here as missionaries, and in 1798
Luis Antonio Martinez, one of the best known of the padres, began his
long term of service at San Luis. In 1794 the Mission reached its
highest population of 946 souls. It had 6500 head of cattle and horses,
6150 sheep. In 1798 it raised 4100 bushels of wheat, and in this same
year a water-power mill was erected and set in motion. San Luis was
also favored by the presence of a smith, a miller and a carpenter of
the artisan instructors, sent by the king in 1794. Looms were erected,
and cotton brought up from San Blas was woven. A new church of adobes,
with a tile roof, was completed in 1793, and that same year a portico
was added to its front.
In 1830 Padre Martinez was banished to Madrid, and at this time the
buildings at San Luis were already falling into decay, as the padre,
with far-seeing eye, was assured that the politicians had nothing but
evil in store for them. Consequently, he did not keep up things as he
otherwise would have done. He was an outspoken, frank, fearless man, and
this undoubtedly led to his being chosen as the example necessary to
restrain the other padres from too great freedom of speech and manner.
In 1834 San Luis had 264 neophytes, though after secularization the
number was gradually reduced until, in 1840, there were but 170 left.
The order of secularization was put into effect in 1835 by Manuel Jimeno
Casarin. The inventory of the property in 1836 showed $70,000. In 1839
it was $60,000. In 1840 all the horses were stolen by "New Mexican
traders," one report alone telling of the driving away of 1200 head. The
officers at Los Angeles went in pursuit of the thieves and one party
reported that it came in full sight of the foe retiring deliberately
with the stolen animals, but, as there were as many Americans as
Indians in the band, they deemed it imprudent to risk a conflict.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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