BULL. 30] SAN JUAN BAUTISTA SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO 



445 



San luan Baptista.— Villagran, Hist. N. Mex., 136, 

 1610. San Juan Baptista. — Bandelier in Arch. Inst. 

 Papers, iv, 23S 1892. Sant Joan Baptista. — Onate 

 (1598) in Doc. InOd., xvi, 252, 1871. 



San Juan Bautista. A Cora imeblo and 

 formerly a visita of the mission of Santa 

 Fe; situated near the w. bank of Rio San 

 Pedro, lat. 22° 20^ Jalisco, Mexico.— 

 Kino in Doc. Hist. Mex., 4th s., i, 300, 

 1856. 



San Jnan Capistrano. A Franciscan mis- 

 sion established by Fr. Junipero Serra, 

 Nov. 10, 1776, at a place called in the 

 native tongue Sajirit, or Quanis-Savit, 

 at the present San Juan, Orange co., Cal. 

 As soon as Franciscan missionaries, who 

 were superseded by Dominicans in 

 Lower California, arrived in San Diego, 

 the ardent apostle to Alta California sent 

 two friars to institute a mission at a road- 

 stead 26 leagues n. of San Diego. They 

 raised across on Oct. 30, 1775, but hastily 

 returned when they learned that in the 

 absence of the soldiers the natives had 

 burned San Diego mission. No sooner 

 was it rebuilt than Fr. Junipero pro- 

 ceeded to inaugurate the projected sec- 

 ond mission, then hurried to San Gabriel 

 and brought down tlie requisite stock of 

 cattle escorted by a single soldier, and 

 when a band of yelling, painted Indians 

 threatened his life he won their confi- 

 dence and friendship. The natives of 

 this coast, well supplied by prolific na- 

 ture, were not covetous of food or gifts, 

 but remarka1)ly eager for baptism. The 

 inhabitants of the valley came from the 

 other side of the Santa Ana mts., where 

 they had a large rancheria called Sejat. 

 About 2 m. from the mission they had 

 one called Putuidem, and in its immedi- 

 ate vicinity they settled at Acagchemem 

 (Geronimo Boscana in Cal. Farmer, Oct. 

 11, 1861 ). The fruitful plain soon yielded 

 an exchangeable surplus of wheat, corn, 

 and legumes. Juicy grasses nourished 

 herds and flocks that doubled each year. 

 The vine was first planted there and it 

 grew wonderfully, and pomegranates, 

 quinces, peaches, nectarines, and other 

 fruits of Old Spain throve as well. By 

 1783 there were 383 converts; in 1790 

 there were 741, and the mission herds had 

 increased to 2,473 head, the small stock to 

 5,500, the grain crop to upward of 3,000 

 bushels. Houses for 40 neophyte fami- 

 lies were constructed in 1794, some of 

 them roofed with tiles. The weaving in- 

 dustry was introduced in 1797, and woolen 

 blankets and cloth of native dye were 

 produced, while the wool clip was 

 abundant enough to supply other mis- 

 sions also. A stone church, the finest in 

 California, that was nine years in build- 

 ing, was completed in 1806. It had a 

 high tower and five interior arches of 

 stone, all the work of the neophytes. 

 Illegal sales of provisions to American 



and Russian trading vessels filled the 

 coffers of the mission. The number of 

 neophytes increased to 1,138 in 1810, the 

 average crop to 5,570 bushels, and the 

 large stock to 10,213 head, while the 

 number of sheep, though still the largest 

 among the missions, decreased in ten 

 years from 17,030 to 11,500, but at the 

 end of the following decade there were 

 15,000, with 11,500 cattle and nearly 

 1,000 horses, while the neophyte popula- 

 tion, after reaching 1,361 in 1812, de- 

 cUned to 1,064. On Dec. 8, 1812, the 

 new church was destroyed by an earth- 

 quake, and nearly 50 natives who were 

 attending early mass were buried be- 

 neath the ruins. In 1830 the number of 

 neophytes had declined to 926, cattle to 

 10,978, sheep to 5,000. Torrents gullied 

 the fertile soil and weeds choked the 

 crops, while the affairs of the mission 

 were mismanaged. The missionary 

 quarreled with the captain of the guard, 

 and the neophytes grew lazy and inso- 

 lent. In 1833 the earlier scheme of 

 secularization was carried out at this 

 mission as an experiment. The neo- 

 phytes, of whom there were 861, were 

 all released from miss^ion restriction, pro- 

 vided with farms and farm stock, and 

 constituted into a i)uel)lo. In the fol- 

 lowing year their new liberties were ab- 

 rogated and they were placed on a foot- 

 ing with the people of other missions. 

 From the founding of the mission till 

 1834 the number of natives baptized was 

 4,317, 1.689 adults and 2,628 children. 

 The number of deaths was 3,153. The 

 civilian administrator was avaricious, 

 and the neophytes deserted until only 80 

 were found at the mission in 1839. They 

 clamored to be formed again into a 

 pueblo, and the Government acceded to 

 their, desire on the condition of their 

 working faithfully during a period of 

 probation under the direction of the 

 padre, but he was unwilling to take 

 charge unless citizens were allowed to 

 come in and the Indian alcaldes were 

 held in control. During the next few 

 years most of the Indians left for Los 

 Angeles or elsewhere. In 1841 the In- 

 dians were fully emancipated and land 

 was assigned to those who desired it in 

 the newly founded pueblo of San Juan, 

 but not more than 20 to 30 seem to have 

 settled there. What remained of the 

 mission grounds was sold in 1845 for 

 $710. The ruins of the old stone church 

 still remain as when overthrown. The 

 Landmarks Club of California has se- 

 cured a lease of the buildings and 

 grounds, placed a roof, with the original 

 tiles, on the old adobe church, sup- 

 posed to have been built by Serra, be- 

 sides making other repairs to preserve 

 the buildings from further decay. The 



