Missions

Mission Santa Barbara

By: Justin Hinojoza

Mission Santa Barbara was built in 1786.It was named by roman catholic priest Fermin Francisco de Lasuen. Mission Santa Barbara was made in 1786. The first mission church was made out of logs with a grass roof, and an earth floor. The second one was made with adobe with roof tiles. There was another adobe tile roof structure but was damaged in an earthquake.

Mission Information

The Chumash Indian worked and lived at Mission Santa Barbara. The Chumash lived close to the mission. The Chumash were willing to give up their way of life to learn about mission tools and mission life.

Mission Santa Barbara is located on foothills Santa Barbara California.

Church

Mission Santa Barbara was built around 1786. The first mission church at Santa Barbara was made out of logs with a thatched grass roots. The inside the mission church the wooden pews are made of wood. The alter has two large paintings on the right wall and one painting, and a statue of Jesus Christ on the other. A window on the left wall, and the alter and candle holder on the other.The room holds 80 guests. There is a room behind the alter that opens up to the courtyard. It is decorated in black and white tile flooring with 3 large mirrors.

The bells where gifted from the King of Spain. Some are small the others are big.The purpose was to remind the people that it could be time to go to the church, or time for breakfast, lunch, dinner, time for work, or time to rest.The Santa Barbara mission has 11 bells. The Indian men rang the bell for Mission Santa Barbara. Mission Santa Barbara rang the bells six times a day.

Bells

The padres of mission Santa Barbara focused on what it was like to be a priest at Santa Barbara Mission. Padres had many jobs beyond simply holding masses.They served as educators, community leaders, and planners and supervisors for many aspect of mission life.

The men worked in the orchards and vegetable gardens,and cared for the live stock. They made adobe bricks and tiles, They did blacksmith and carpentry, made wine, and tanned the cowhides.

Jobs

Women would gather wild herbs and roots. There were over 100 fruit trees grown.They also planted corn, wheat, and raised sheep.The extra clothes that they made were traded or sold.

Even children had jobs they would keep birds or small animals out of the garden so they would not make a mess on the crops.

Tallow Vats

Tallow are large pieces of cow fat turned into things such like soap and candles and use for cooking.

Tallow, is fat that is scraped off the cattle. They take the fat and put it in large pots and cook it down. Then they dig up a hole and put adobe brick in the whole.

Tallow was made form excess fat scraped form the hides of cattle or sheep.The fat was cooked over a low fire in a large metal vessel or vat.

They made candles.They made candles form tallow.

The hide and tallow trade in part to ease the exchange of better meat that damage for goods and services.

They first scraped.Then they put it out to dry.The corners of the hide were stacked to the ground so the corners would not curl up when dried. Some days later the hides were cured by soaking them for many hours in water with salt.

Buildings

The Padre's room was called a cell.The floor in the room was bare beaten earth or adobe.

In the Indoor Kitchen there was a long fireplace with a wide hearth raised several feet off the floor.

The oven was shaped with a small opening on the side.They had adobes tiles, shoes, and garments.

The blacksmith shop is where iron is forged and made into objects such as tools and horseshoes.
There was a leather shop the least leather Santa Barbara had was Smith leather.

Workshops

Animals

The animals that lived at the mission were bobcats mule deer, bears, California mice, chickens, cattle, pig, sheep, and goats.The first animals like cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep were brought over.

The Indians that lived at the mission some had to take care of the animals. In the mission, there was a weaving workshop. Then they used the wool for weaving and also clothing with the wool.

They used the cow for their skin, for money, and used the cow meat for food. The mission had many crops like wheat, beans, and corn, the Indians were good farmers and they used horses to get around.

Crops

Extra Items

The padres brought grapes to the mission that they grew at the mission for wine. They also sold the grapes.

They had a stone grinder that was used to grind wheat, oats, and barley into flour and corn into a cornmeal.

Mission Santa Barbara sold or traded the stuff they grinded or use it for food.

The warm water came from a natural hot springs nearby. It was through an aqueduct to a fountain. This area was know as warm springs long after the mission period ended.

Over 4000 Chumash Indians were buried in mission Santa Barbara. There are self guided tours are open today.

The mission was named after Saint Barbara, who was allegedly beheaded by her father for following the Christian faith. At dawn, the city had an earthquake that was a 6.3 that left one of the church at damaged.