academicanarchist - 10-19-2003 at 06:25 AM
In terms of the development of the building complexes at the missions, several of the southern missions lagged behind those further north. In 1769,
when a French scientific team visited San Jose del Cabo from the crossing of Venus across the face of the sun, the mission buildings were still wattle
and daub, less permanent structures generally built during the first phase of construction to serve until replaced by more permanent adobe and/or
stone structures. An artist with the expedition did several paintings of the buildings, including one of the burial of a member of the expedition who
died from measles during an epidemic. There are detailed inventories for the missions from 1773 and 1774 prepared by the departing Franciscans and
arriving Dominicans. They give a good picture of the stage of development of the building complexes.