The Spaniards
The idea behind the missions was to colonize the territory of Alta California, which had been discovered by the Spanish about 2 centuries ago. The missions were important because they were the means of settling California. Without the missions, California, which was a real wilderness in 1769, would have been settled much more slowly and with a lot more conflict.
Mission Carmel was established by Father Junipero Serra in 1770. The daily life in the mission was very busy. The missionaries had to perform religious activities like saying mass and baptizing the Native Americans. They also had to run a large community and perform activities like building the mission. They also had to make sure that everyone had enough to eat by managing the large farms and ranches around the mission. They also had to oversee the goods the mission needed (each mission had their own blacksmith, candlemaker, carpenter, and had to make their own clothes and shoes).
Some of the more notable Spaniards at the mission were
1. Juan Crespí- A Spanish missionary and explorer. Because he was one of the only Franciscans to make the entire journey by land, Crespi became the first official diarist of the mission.
2. Fermin Lasuen- He became the head missionary at the mission after the death of Fr. Serra and also continued his work, building Mission Carmel and establishing 9 more missions.
3. Jose Antonio Romeu- He was the Spanish governor of California
4. Junipero Serra- Mission Carmel was his favorite mission. He established the first 9 missions. He used Mission Carmel as his headquarters of all the missions.
In the early years, life was difficult at the mission. People mostly depended on Mexican supply ships for everything.
The Spaniards changed the life of the Native Americans by trying to civilize them. The life at the mission was difficult and very organized and changed the architecture and economy of California forever.
The idea behind the missions was to colonize the territory of Alta California, which had been discovered by the Spanish about 2 centuries ago. The missions were important because they were the means of settling California. Without the missions, California, which was a real wilderness in 1769, would have been settled much more slowly and with a lot more conflict.
Mission Carmel was established by Father Junipero Serra in 1770. The daily life in the mission was very busy. The missionaries had to perform religious activities like saying mass and baptizing the Native Americans. They also had to run a large community and perform activities like building the mission. They also had to make sure that everyone had enough to eat by managing the large farms and ranches around the mission. They also had to oversee the goods the mission needed (each mission had their own blacksmith, candlemaker, carpenter, and had to make their own clothes and shoes).
Some of the more notable Spaniards at the mission were
1. Juan Crespí- A Spanish missionary and explorer. Because he was one of the only Franciscans to make the entire journey by land, Crespi became the first official diarist of the mission.
2. Fermin Lasuen- He became the head missionary at the mission after the death of Fr. Serra and also continued his work, building Mission Carmel and establishing 9 more missions.
3. Jose Antonio Romeu- He was the Spanish governor of California
4. Junipero Serra- Mission Carmel was his favorite mission. He established the first 9 missions. He used Mission Carmel as his headquarters of all the missions.
In the early years, life was difficult at the mission. People mostly depended on Mexican supply ships for everything.
The Spaniards changed the life of the Native Americans by trying to civilize them. The life at the mission was difficult and very organized and changed the architecture and economy of California forever.