Mission Santa Cruz

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Mission Santa Cruz

• By Jeremy

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Picture of Mission Santa Cruz
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History of the California missions
Spain wanted to settle California because
they were afraid the Russian and England would
settle before them. They also set the missions to
teach Christianity. The mans name that planned
all the missions was Jose de Galbez. He chose
Junipero Serra to set up all the missions but he
only set up nine after his death. Gaspar de
Portola was selected to lead the mission and
protect the people. The people took boats and
some walked . The first mission was built in San
Diego and the second mission was made in Monterey
Bay The road that connected all the missions
was the El Camino real. A pueblo is a farm and a
presidio is a fort. The Indians used the pueblo
to feed and the pueblo to protect people and to
protect the missions.
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History of Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz was the twelfth mission built.
The area around the Lorenzo river was beautiful
and lush. The banks of the river were covered
with sycamore,cottonwood, and willow trees. The
land was fertile. Santa Cruz meant holy cross. As
with all the missions,a holy cross was set in the
ground and a mass was held.With Lasuen were six
soldiers from the San Francisco presidio.
Presidios were military forts.On August 28, 1791
Fray Lasuen sprinkled holy water on the chosen
site.Fray Lasuen put a holy cross on Mission
Santa Cruz . At the founding ceremony were a
number of Ohlone Indians.On September 24,1791,
California Indians from Mission Santa Clara de
Asis came to Mission Santa Cruz to help.A few
months later San Lorenzo River flooded and
mission Santa Cruz moved to higher ground . The
Ohlone Indians made their own food. Once the
basics of the mission were established the
Indians started to build the permanent church


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History of mission Santa Cruz 2
The church was made made out of adobe
bricks.The permanent church was 30 feet wide
,112 feet long.and 25 feet high.Now that mission
Santa Cruz was found ,but it was a few weeks
before there were any buildings instead of the
wooden cross.A chief named chief sugert , brought
his daughters and a few members of his tribe to
a ceremony. They would be the first Indians
converted to Christianity.The Spanish called the
newly converted Indians neophytes.Mission Santa
Cruz Operated without any problems in the first
few months.Animals, grains,and everything went
well.All these items were brought from other
cities an that is how the Mission is today,nice
and safe.
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Life at mission Santa Cruz
Indians who were baptized and converted to
Christianity were called neophytes. All the
Indians were never ever allowed to leave the
mission. Women were locked and neophytes that
didnt do their job got beaten or put in iron
legs . The unmarried women and the girls over the
age of nine lived together in the building in a
monjerio. Families and unmarried men lived
outside. Bells rang to wake the Indians up. Then
the people ate breakfast. Bells rang again to
tell the Indians to get to work. Later when it
was lunch they stopped to eat and got a break and
went back to work . After that they ate dinner
and they could do anything they wanted to do
after dinner . Soon they went to bed and they did
everything over again.
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Troubles at the Mission
Mission Santa Cruz has gone through many
challenges. A lot of workers werent happy
working at the mission. The Ohlone werent happy
either. Many heavy rains destroyed the church and
damaged other buildings.Fray Quinta was found
dead in his bed. Rumors say he was murdered. In
1818 a French pirate came and raided Monterey and
people were afraid that the pirate would came to
Santa Cruz next. Mission Santa Cruz was destroyed
by instead by the people of Villa de Bronciforte.
European diseases were killing many neophytes.
Between those Indians who escaped and those who
died from diseases,the population was shrinking.
Many neophytes were very tired. The neophytes
missed their freedom. That year 138 neophytes
escaped from the mission. Some managed to hide
but 90 Indians were hunted down. Those 90 were
punished and forced to return to work. Lastly
some people came to the Yokut tribe and they were
dragged to work at the mission.
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The mission today
A smaller version of the mission can still be
seen today.First ,school groups came to visit the
Mission to make old tools and other things.A copy
of the Missions church was destroyed by an
earthquake. In the church there was a wing
attached to the church that holds some artifacts
so they would not fall or break. Small adobe
buildings nearby once were houses of the
neophytes . It is the only mission house left
today. This building had begun to be the Mission
Santa Cruz we see today.
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Four more pictures of Mission Santa Cruz