Mission San Juan

Mission San Juan Capistrano is located in San Juan Capistrano which is in the southern part of California.
The mission was founded by Father Junipero Serra. Father Serra named the mission for St. John of Capestrano in Italy. St. John was a warrior priest of the 15th century. The mission was built twice because the first time, there was not enough water. The site of the mission now is closer to water. The mission was officially founded on November 1, 1776.

Mission San Juan Capistrano was built out of adobe bricks covered with an adobe mud. This mud is like “stucco”. The roof is of fired clay tiles. The mission is shaped like a quadrangle. The mission was built by indigenous natives, later known as Juanenos. The mission consisted of numerous storage rooms for provisions, shops for making materials, living and dining rooms for the priests and dorms for the Juanenos. The mission also had housing for the soldiers, a jail, and a powder magazine. The mission was built in the Spanish craftsmanship although the style is colonial. The mission sits on 5.8 acres. The mission has two large bells located in the main tower.

The Acjachemen Indian neophytes, known as Juaneros, resided where the mission is currently located. The people were friendly. The Juaneros helped to build the present day mission. The Mexican government confiscated the property in 1834 and many Juaneros left the area. After the earthquake in 1812, the mission steadily declined. The population at the time was roughly 1,000 people. Some of the jobs done at the mission were various craft skills taught to the natives so that they could make a living. Soldiers were also a large part of the mission lifestyle.

Mission San Juan Capistrano grew grapes, which were later made into wine, sold in the gift shop of the mission. Mustard weed ruined the crops growing, although many times different ideas were tried to rid the weed. The crops grew but then were famished due to the weeds. Cattle numbers declined because...