Mission San Diego de Alcalá

The Mission flourished at its new site inland with better resources, and although the relationship between the Spanish and Natives was tense at times, the Mission was able to move past the incident in 1775 and continue to grow. They continued to allow baptized Neophytes to live in their villages but did take in and care for the sick, elderly, and infants during times of drought and famine. Scholars have been able to track native birth rates and baptism rates that reflect the mission's yearly harvests in order to examine the ways these two societies interacted. We see these statistics go up drastically in 1779 when the mission yielded their first crop from their newly created dam and irrigation system. [2]

At its peak in the early 19th century, the Neophyte population reached almost 2,000, and the mission had nearly 30,000 animals. The Mission was eventually secularized in 1834 and buildings were left to deteriorate. The Mission was briefly utilized by the US Military in the 1850s, and finally returned to the church in 1862. It was restored in 1931 and stands today as an active Roman Catholic Church. [3]

As you move into the Church you see the most original and important details of this mission. The ceiling is painted green, and support bars with details of red span the width of the chapel. The windows are placed high up on the wall for architectural support, and give less chance of an attack from the outside. The entire church spans 150 feet and is only 30 feet wide, typical measurements of monasteries and missions from the Colonial period. Multiple other parts of the church reference the founding and origins of the mission. The tiles on the floor came from the original mission at Presidio Hill, and the altar was made using planks from ships after the Spanish landed at San Diego. The church also has many wood carvings of saints and various relics that belonged to Fr. Serra, including Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary, Saint Gabriel, and Saint Serra himself. Religious wood carvings were a popular form of iconography in Latin American art during this time, and the various statues situated around the chapel attest to its Latin American influence. The church's ornate details and decoration throughout show a Baroque influence that ties it back to its European heritage. Furthermore, the Crucifix hanging over the altar is from Italy, solidifying ties to European roots. To the right of the altar, honoring the Mission’s history, a marble cross on the ground marks the burial spot to the 5 fathers of the San Diego Mission throughout its history. [4]

With its large Convento, bell tower, Campanario, and Chapel, the San Diego Mission stood as a beacon of Colonial presence to the natives who inhabited the region. As natives moved through the Mission they would have felt it’s European presence as it blended with Spanish colonial styles. These structures would have been viewed as fortresses of sorts, communicating Spanish goals of conversion and sense of duty to bring Catholisicm to the natives. [5] Much of the layout of the Spanish Missions evolve from that of early Spanish Conventos and Mission churches. These designs can be seen in early Spanish monasteries such as the Convento de San Miguel in Huejotzingo, constructed in the 16th century. The foreign idea of the Convento was constructed in indigenous styles and this most likely helped incorporate these structures into the local community. Furthermore, the open spaces included in these layouts not only helped accomodate growing populations of Neophytes, but resonated with them as they would use large spaces like these to perform religious dances and rituals. [6]

The Mission’s history is comparable to that of early Mexican Missions of the 16th century and provides us a great deal of insight into the ways in which Colonialism is developing and shaping the Americas at this time while blending with styles of Latin American art and architecture. Father Serra and his followers interacted with the natives on a different level than anyone had before. Their Mission became a strong force in the landscape and changed the lives of thousands of natives.

[1] SANDOS, JAMES A. "The Indians of San Diego Say ‘‘No!’’. In Converting California: Indians and Franciscans in the Missions, 55-68.

[2] Shipek, Florence C. "A Native American Adaptation to Drought: The Kumeyaay as Seen in the San Diego Mission Records 1770-1798."

[3] California Missions Resource Center. "San Diego de Alcalá Key Facts.

[4] Simondi, Thomas E. “Mission San Diego History.” MissionTour, 29 Oct. 2016.

[5] Wake, Eleanor. 2010. Framing the Sacred : The Indian Churches of Early Colonial Mexico, 102.

[6] Jiménez, Maya. "Mission churches as theaters of conversion in New Spain."