In this city perched on the Pacific Rim, the white stuccoed bell towers of historic mission churches-San Gabriel Arcangel, Santa Ines and San Fernando Rey de Espana, to name three of the state`s 21-seem to toll for another time. Visiting some of the nine missions close to the city is the key to unlocking the secret of early California`s colonial Spanish years.
Two of the nine, built a day`s horseback ride from each other by Franciscan padres (priests) between 1769 and 1804, are in the city. The others are within a two-hour drive north or south along the coast on El Camino Real, the King`s Highway.
Marked by a series of black wrought-iron bells suspended on tall posts, the road, once a wagon track, is now part of the modern highway system following Interstate Highway 5 south and the Ventura Freeway and U.S. Highway 101 going north.
The history of the missions dates to the mid-1750s, when California was still a largely unexplored corner of the Spanish empire. When news of Russian pioneers settling on the northwest coast threatened Spain`s hegemony, the Spanish viceroy in Mexico City appointed Father Junipero Serra to establish a chain of missions from San Diego northward.
The mission system built by priests was primarily an administrative tool for colonizing wilderness regions. And while the Native Americans were ”souls to be saved” they were also labor.
At first coaxed to join religious events, the Indians were lured from their villages and converted. Men and women were separated, children were taken from their parents and adults put to work making adobe bricks, plowing fields, tending cattle, tanning leather, harvesting vineyards and weaving cloth. Those who rebeled or ran away were recaptured by the soldiers and flogged or imprisoned.
The missions prospered, evolving into vast ranchos with thousands of cattle. At the hub were the church, monastery, barracks, housing, workshops, school and cemetery, all behind thick walls. And what walls they were. Made of sun-baked adobe blocks, they were cool in the summer and warm in winter.
Mission life destroyed Indian society, killing thousands by disease and trauma. Of an estimated 130,000 Indians in 1769, only 83,000 remained by 1834. In that year the newly independent Mexican government disbanded the missions and broke up their huge holdings.
For a century, weather and earthquakes damaged the mission buildings, until the mid-1930s, when renewed interest in California history turned toward saving those that remained.
Restoration groups replanted gardens, rebuilt chapels, cleaned fountains, retiled roofs, restored workshops and converted storerooms into museums and gift shops.
Because of their locations, it is possible to tour several in a half day. A suggested grouping follows. All are open daily except during Sunday morning services, when visitors are welcome in church. Expect to pay a small entrance fee.
San Gabriel Arcangel, 537 W. Mission Drive, San Gabriel, was the fourth mission, founded in 1771. Built where three trails crossed, it became an important inn and the largest mission. Vast fields supported cattle, grapes and grain.
The walled garden, cemetery, church, workshops, well and soap vats give a sense of mission life. The museum has numerous relics and Indian paintings. A 1987 earthquake damaged the old church, now closed for restoration. Open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
San Fernando Rey de Espana, 15151 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, was the 17th mission, founded in 1797, to close the gap between San Gabriel and San Buenaventura. Completely restored, its extensive workshops display period tools in an authentic setting.
After the 1812 earthquake destroyed the first church and a second deteriorated, the present church was erected. The big Convento is original, with beamed ceilings, iron grilles and handmade tiles. The museum and library with Western and Californiana titles is open to visitors. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
San Buenaventura, 211 E. Main St., Ventura, was the ninth mission, founded in 1782, near several populous Chumash Indian villages. The tiny church-a fine example of early mission architecture-a courtyard garden and fountain are all that remain. The Indian cemetery is now a blacktopped parking lot and school; former farmlands and vineyards have been divided into city lots.
A quaint museum contains Indian and mission artifacts and two carved wooden bells. At the rear of the property is an exposed portion of old wall of bricks hand-shaped by Indians. The church is within a newly revitalized shopping area of downtown Ventura, an hour`s drive north of Los Angeles. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Santa Barbara mission is two hours north of Los Angeles, 2201 Laguna St., Santa Barbara. Called ”Queen of the Missions,” it was founded as the 10th, in 1786. Some buildings in the complex belong to the modern theological seminary. The impressive and elaborate church is the fourth on the site, dedicated in 1820. Twin towers, unique to Santa Barbara, mark an imposing facade.
Indian women washed their clothes in the 1808 stone fountain in front. Visitors stroll through a secluded garden, cemetery and extensive museum. Fragments of a complex irrigation system remain nearby, the original reservoir still used by the town. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Santa Ines, one of the loveliest, was founded 19th, in 1804. It is a half-hour drive north of Santa Barbara, in open fields near Solvang, a quaint country village and popular tourist destination. One of the poorest missions, it survived with difficulty until the 1812 earthquake destroyed the first church. The present buildings are a blend of old and new; newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst donated money to restore the tower.
The gardens are planted year-round; a tidy museum displays an unusual collection of ritual garments, Latin books and Indian artifacts. Open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
La Purisima Conception, the 11th mission, is half-hour north of Solvang, 2295 Purisima Rd., Lompoc. Originally built on a fault, it was moved 4 miles northeast after the 1812 quake. Authentically restored, it is the only mission run by costumed docents who re-create period life, demonstrating weaving, leather-working, brickmaking and candle-dipping.
The buildings were restored in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, who made all the bricks in the traditional way and camped nearby. The charming site, a tree-shaded grassy valley, conveys the charm and isolation of rural life. Open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter and to 5:30 p.m. in summer.
San Diego de Alcala, 10818 San Diego Mission Rd., San Diego, the first mission, was founded in 1769, overlooking San Diego Bay. Moved upriver five years later, its quadrangle plan became a standard design. The residents, pioneers in a forbidding place, coped with starvation, mutinous soldiers and Indian attacks.
The simple church, a monastery fragment and garden are restored; the facade is original. The campanario`s five original bells have been found and rehung. There is a small museum. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
San Luis Rey de Francia, 4050 Mission Ave., San Luis Rey, is a large and imposing mission 6 miles east of Oceanside. It was designed and built by the artistic Father Antonio Peyri in 1798, 18th in the chain. Visitors can stroll among restored buildings, original ruins, lovely gardens and a spring-fed laundry.
The church is the only mission church to adopt the cruciform plan, a long nave crossed by a transept and covered by a dome. The tall bell tower doubled as a lookout. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
San Juan Capistrano, west of Interstate Highway 5 in San Juan Capistrano, was founded seventh, in 1776. It is famous for its swallows, which return to nest on March 19. The Serra Chapel is the oldest building in California-Father Serra preached here; vine and flower-covered ruins are the Great Stone Church, destroyed in the 1812 earthquake.
The grounds contain flower gardens, fountain, living quarters, workshops and a cemetery. Sunday services take place in a new church. Open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
