BajaNomad

Who were the missionaries at the old missions?

David K - 2-19-2015 at 08:51 AM

One of my recent history projects has been to find the names of as many padres documented at the 27 missions in Baja as possible. The three Orders who founded and operated the missions sent close to 200 missionaries over a 150 year period.

Because of Nomad's issues with accent marks, I could not post the work here, however, I have just finished posting the 27 missions with the padres we know who served at them, either stationed there or visiting on another web site without such issues.

I added photos and some details about the missions in addition to the names of the priests. They are posted on a history forum site called Historum, in the forum for the region that includes Mexico: http://historum.com/american-history/83478-missionaries-baja...

So that you don't have to join another forum if you have questions or comments, just ask them here after viewing them. Thank you!


The map is from 1787 and the first to show California divided between Old and New (Dominicans and Franciscans). It was one political unit, however, until 1804...

ehall - 2-19-2015 at 09:03 AM

Very interesting. Nice pictures. Going to have to plan a mission trip someday.

4x4abc - 2-19-2015 at 09:16 AM

how much help did they bring with them - soldiers, carpenters, farmers etc?
The many ranchos they started were not manned by the indigenous people

elbeau - 2-19-2015 at 09:44 AM

When you consider the size of the native population, there were very few soldiers stationed in the Jesuit missions. I know Baegert reports that there were around 60 total soldiers in the peninsula while he was there. I remember Aschman making special note of how few soldiers were involved in the entire Jesuit effort.

Essentially, a country with a population of ~50,000 was conquered by a very small handful of soldiers and a very aggressive religious campaign.

[Edited on 2-19-2015 by elbeau]

mtgoat666 - 2-19-2015 at 12:07 PM

Quote: Originally posted by elbeau  
When you consider the size of the native population, there were very few soldiers stationed in the Jesuit missions. I know Baegert reports that there were around 60 total soldiers in the peninsula while he was there. I remember Aschman making special note of how few soldiers were involved in the entire Jesuit effort.

Essentially, a country with a population of ~50,000 was conquered by a very small handful of soldiers and a very aggressive religious campaign.

[Edited on 2-19-2015 by elbeau]


the europeans arrived with very effective WMDs, like small pox - was a cake walk to take over the territory

Barry A. - 2-19-2015 at 02:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
Quote: Originally posted by elbeau  
When you consider the size of the native population, there were very few soldiers stationed in the Jesuit missions. I know Baegert reports that there were around 60 total soldiers in the peninsula while he was there. I remember Aschman making special note of how few soldiers were involved in the entire Jesuit effort.

Essentially, a country with a population of ~50,000 was conquered by a very small handful of soldiers and a very aggressive religious campaign.

[Edited on 2-19-2015 by elbeau]


the europeans arrived with very effective WMDs, like small pox - was a cake walk to take over the territory


True, but highly unlikely that the Spaniards knew it at the time. The "Church" came to convert, not to kill. History only makes sense in the context of it's time, and judging it by todays standards is hopeless and mostly useless.

Barry

elbeau - 2-19-2015 at 02:40 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  

the europeans arrived with very effective WMDs, like small pox - was a cake walk to take over the territory


While you're correct that European diseases wiped them out, Spain unsuccessfully spent massive amounts of time, money, and manpower for 150 years trying to establish a presence in the peninsula. Cortez, who made relatively short work of the Aztecs, could not do it. Many others also tried and failed. The Atondo/Kino expedition was first and foremost a military operation. Atondo and his soldiers were often brutal. After their enterprise at San Bruno failed, Kino adeptly realized that a heavy hand would not conquer the peninsula.

Kino and Salvatierra managed to make the Jesuit colonization primarily a religious endeavor with very little military presence. The Padres took the role of being seen as a protector that would stop the soldiers from inflicting harsh punishments. This was often staged very intentionally so that the natives would be thankful to the missionaries.

It worked like a charm. ~50,000 converted and I don't think the total military force exceeded 100 soldiers during Jesuit times.

The natives were conquered by conversion. Some European plagues preceded the conversion, but most of the devastation followed conversion and spread much more rapidly because the missions concentrated the populations, allowing the diseases to spread very rapidly.

David K - 2-19-2015 at 04:19 PM

The missionary period was really separated by dramatic changes made to achieve the desired goals... and they weren't consistant.

1) First attempts 1683-1685 at La Paz (called Mission Guadalupe) and San Bruno made my Spanish soldiers and Jesuits who had no control over the soldiers killing of Indians. Insufficient support was the ultimate demise at San Bruno, after 2 years.

2) Jesuits argued for authority over the California program, and was granted by Spain, provided the Jesuits raised all the money required. No longer could soldiers have their way and the missionaries returned in 1697, to Loreto. The Jesuits respected the Indians, honored their nations and local names, and were mostly popular with the Californians. There were exceptions, like with the Pericu, but most accepted and could live with the missions run by the Jesuits.

Yes, not many soldiers... 0-2 at most mission and few more at the persidio in Loreto ... and there were not many Jesuits in Baja either... 1-2 per mission or at visitas in training. Less than 80 Europeans vs. 50,000 Californians.

The Jesuits were the teachers and well skilled in engineering of roads, water works, agriculture, basic adobe and wood building. However skilled craftsmen were brought over from the mainland for the building of the grand stone churches.

3) The Jesuits were removed after false rumors were spread, and they were out of general popularity every where after the 1760's. The Franciscans replaced them, and they were under civil authority... the Jesuit deal was over.

The king provided the funding for the missions, and after one year gave new directions out of fear of the Russians or others taking the land north of California (the peninsula was California first).

The Dominicans relieved the Franciscans... and in reading their notes, the respect or honor for the natives just was not there, like the Jesuits gave the Indians. Indians were to be civilized, and that meant working the mission lands, like a commune.

[Edited on 2-19-2015 by David K]