Mission San Gabriel de Arc

1
Mission San Gabriel de Arcángel

• By Mihika Mehra
• 5/6/2013
• Mrs. Gil

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Founding History of Mission San Gabriel

• Mission San Gabriel was founded in San Gabriel
  on September 8th, 1771 by Father Serra. It was
  the fourth mission to be founded in California
  and was named for Gabriel, Holy Prince of
  Archangels. This mission is also called the
  Queen of the Missions.

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Location of Mission San Gabriel

• Mission San Gabriel is located nine miles south
  from downtown Los Angeles, in the southern region
  of California. The address is 427 S. Junipero
  Serra Drive San Gabriel, CA 91776.

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Design and Layout of Mission San Gabriel

• This mission has very interesting features. It
  has a traditional quadrangle with soldiers
  barracks, neophyte housing, warehouses, and
  other structures in the courtyard. Under the
  order of the missionaries, or people living in
  the mission, the mission was later rebuilt in
  Moorish style.
• American Indians training to become Catholic.

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Life on Mission San Gabriel

• Native American Life

• Missionary Life

• Every morning the neophytes would wake at
  sunrise to the sound of the six bells in the bell
  tower. Then, the big angelus bell would call them
  to church where the friars would lead an hour of
  prayers. After church came breakfast, atole, a
  hot cereal made of ground and roasted grain.
  After another bell, everyone went to work, even
  the neophytes. They were taught to grow many
  things in their fields, gardens, and orchards.
  They even built aqueducts to irrigate the fields.
  Mission San Gabriel became famous for producing
  wine. They built in the workshops, too. After
  lunch, a meat stew, they rested and then went
  back to work. At 5 pm, the bell rang for another
  hour of prayers and, after that, supper and
  bedtime at 8 pm. One thousand neophytes lived at
  the mission.

• Friars and missionaries were frustrated. They
  had been trained to be priests, not farmers. They
  didnt like managing the activities. An
  earthquake had hit the mission and damaged it. It
  took years to rebuild it, and the missionaries
  wanted it to be built in Moorish Style this time.
  They got their wish the roof of Mission San
  Gabriel was in Moorish Style. They first came
  here when they were sixteen, then trained to be
  priests and baptized Native Americans. Some died,
  and never returned home to Spain.

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Mission Life Today

• Today, Mission San Gabriel has more buildings, a
  bell tower, and different museums that tell the
  history of California. The museum exhibits old
  books and Indian paintings and parchments. Over
  time, the mission has grown and changed by
  modeling. People still pray in the church, so
  Mission San Gabriel is still an active mission.

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Take a Stand

• The mission system (1769- 1834) was when Russian
  hunters came to invade Spain to hunt for seals.
  The Spanish decided to hold a claim over
  California. Missions were built to hold the claim
  and to convert Native Americans into
  Christianity. The mission system was taking away
  all the Natives religions and treating them
  badly.
• The Natives were forced to speak Spanish,
  believe in different gods, and change their
  culture completely.
• They were not allowed to speak their language.
• They were not allowed believe in their gods.
• They had to wear different clothes.
• Even though the Native Americans had made a deal,
  the missionaries were not keeping their side of
  the deal up.
• They got punished or whipped for doing something
  wrong.
• Sometimes the children got separated from their
  parents.
• They did not like being treated cruelly.
• Spanish diseases were killing Native Americans.
• They were not used to these diseases.
• Being treated cruelly couldve been a disease,
  too.
• These diseases chicken pox, measles, small pox
  were passed on from friars and priests to
  Natives.
• This is why the mission system was a bad idea.

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Bibliography

• California Missions Resource Center.
• California Missions Trail.
• I am Morning Dove. California Studies Weekly
  Second Quarter 2012-2013 Week 12
• McGinty, Alice B. Mission San Gabriel de Arcángel
  New York Power Press Kids,2000.
• The Mission Village. California Studies Weekly
  Second Quarter 2012-2013 Week 12
• Why were the missions closed down? California
  Studies Weekly Second Quarter 2012-2013 Week 12
  

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Interesting Facts

• Mission San Gabriel
• Raised cattle and sheep.
• Had the largest vineyard in Spanish California.
• Had six bells, including one angelus bell.
• Had the most populous and wealthiest Indians in
  present-day Los Angeles.
• Had a cattle brand.