Colonial Rosary: The Spanish and Indian Missions of California

by Alison Lake

Ohio University Press, 2006
Cloth: 978-0-8040-1084-9 | Paper: 978-0-8040-1085-6 | eISBN: 978-0-8040-4022-8
Library of Congress Classification F864.L1655 2006
Dewey Decimal Classification 979.4

ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC

ABOUT THIS BOOK

California would be a different place today without the imprint of Spanish culture and the legacy of Indian civilization. The colonial Spanish missions that dot the coast and foothills between Sonoma and San Diego are relics of a past that transformed California’s landscape and its people.

In a spare and accessible style, Colonial Rosary looks at the complexity of California’s Indian civilization and the social effects of missionary control. While oppressive institutions lasted in California for almost eighty years under the tight reins of royal Spain, the Catholic Church, and the government of Mexico, letters and government documents reveal the missionaries’ genuine concern for the Indian communities they oversaw for their health, spiritual upbringing, and material needs.

With its balanced attention to the variety of sources on the mission period, Colonial Rosary illuminates ongoing debates over the role of the Franciscan missions in the settlement of California.

By sharing the missions’ stories of tragedy and triumph, author Alison Lake underlines the importance of preserving these vestiges of California’s prestatehood period. An illustrated tour of the missions as well as a sensitive record of their impact on California history and culture, Colonial Rosary brings the story of the Spanish missions of California alive.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Alison Lake writes for magazines and newspapers on a variety of topics, including history, culture, travel, and parenting. Her work has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Washington Woman, and The World & I Magazine, among others. She lives in Herndon, Virginia.

REVIEWS

“It is to Alison Lake’s credit in her richly documented and well-written history that for all the sins and transgressions, we come away more rather than less intrigued with the California missions.”—Victor Davis Hanson, author of The Land Was Everything

“Essential for any comprehensive California collection!”—California Bookwatch

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents
List of Illustrations	000
Foreword	000
Acknowledgments	000
Introduction	001
	The Missions	000
	About This Book	000
	Understanding the Indians of the Missions	000
	Terms and Definitions	000
1. Native California before the Missions	000
	Natural Opportunism	000
	Cultural and Political Division	000
	Earth, Spirit, and Kin	000
2. All the World's a Stage for Spain	000
	Divine Rule and Foreign Policy	000
	God's Foot Soldiers	000
	The Jesuits	000
	A Precedent to Follow, and One to Avoid	000
	Exploration of an Unknown Coast	000
	The Bourbon Transformation, and Competition	000
3. Exploration and Settlement	000
	By Land or by Sea	000
	Establishing the First Missions in Alta California	000
	First Meetings	000
	Tangible Incentives for Conversion	000
4. Establishment of the Missions	000
	Building and Stocking the Missions	000
	Gathering More Recruits	000
	Founding and Organizing the Missions	000
	Bureaucratic Obstacles	000
5. The Messengers of St. Francis	000
	The Franciscan Order	000
	Father Junøpero Serra	000
	The Franciscan Perspective on Indians and Missionary Work	000
	Challenges of Mission Work in California	000
6. Conversion and Mission Life	000
	Role Models	000
	The Reality of Conversion	000
	Keeping Converts and Building a Settlement	000
	Language	000
	Music	000
	Moral Obligations	000
	Cycle of Work	000
7. The Women of Mission California	000
	The Colonial Female Ideal	000
	The Bottom Rung	000
	Under Lock and Key	000
	Female Work Roles	000
	Colonization through Reproduction	000
8. Spanish and Mexican Settlement	000
	Pueblos	000
	Ranchos	000
	The Spanish Settler Class and Culture	000
	Spanish Culture	000
	An Ethnic Hodgepodge	000
9. Colonial Soldiers and the Presidio	000
	Presidios	000
	Soldier of All Trades	000
	Military Bearing and Gear	000
	Forgotten Soldiers	000
10. Style and Layout of Mission Buildings	000
	Building and Construction	000
	Irrigation, Water Structures, and Roads	000
	Human Handiwork	000
	Outfitting the Church Interior	000
	A Layout for Production and Daily Life	000
11. Farming	000
	Farming Methods	000
	Livestock	000
	Crops	000
	Gardens	000
	Food	000
	Cooking Methods and Tools	000
	Change in Nutrition and Eating Habits	000
	The Change in Landscape	000
12. Mission Trades and Economy	000
	Crafting Their Way to Heaven	000
	Fueling the Mission and Colonial Economies	000
13. Indians of the Missions	000
	Mission Indian Groups	000
	A Conscripted Labor Force	000
	Keeping and Recording the Populations	000
	Indian Life	000
	Indian Leadership	000
	Rebellion and Violence	000
	Resistance and Economic Benefit: Livestock Raiding	000
	Escape	000
14. Changing Rule of the Missions	000
	Land of Confusion	000
	The Drive for Secularization	000
	The Plan of Transfer	000
	The Outcome of Secularization	000
15. The Decline of a Civilization	000
	The Epidemic: A Fact of Life and Death	000
	Inside the Mission	000
	Social Effects	000
	A Group Abandoned	000
	Legislation That Meant Well	000
16. The Cycle of Decline and Restoration	000
	The American Period and The Silent Years	000
	Restoration and an Uncertain Future	000
17. Conclusion: The Colonial Rosary	000
Appendix A: Research and Resources	000
Appendix B: Additional Resources Pertaining to California Indians	000
	Indian Canyon	000
	The Alliance of California Tribes	000
	The Bureau of Indian Affairs	000
	The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center in Santa Rosa, California	000
	The Center for California Native Nations	000
	Web Sites of California Tribes with Mission Descendants	000
	Resources for Study of California Missions	000
	Mission Web Sites and Home Pages	000
Notes	000
Bibliography	000
Index	000

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