Old Santa Barbara Mission : Discovering California’s Spanish Roots

California has boasted a culturally and linguistically diverse population for as long as it has been inhabited. Pre-Columbus, 70 distinct groups of Native Americans called this state home. By 1770, Spanish missionaries began establishing 21 Californian missions to convert the indigenous population to Christianity. On our family trip to California, we decided we had to explore this history further and headed to Old Mission Santa Barbara – www.santabarbaramission.org

Established on the Feast of Saint Barbara,  December 4, 1786, Old Santa Barbara Mission was the 10th of 21 missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans in California. Being from Australia where European settlement started in 1788 visiting the site was a little awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, in 1812 an earthquake destroyed the original mission buildings which were rebuilt in 1820. The original fountain remains intact at the front of the mission, spared destruction during the earthquake.

Our trip to Old Santa Barbara Mission was quite exciting. We had already been in America for over three weeks but it was our first time actually hearing about Native American history. Here we saw many of the sculptures and structures that were created by the Native American’s on the site including the 1808 aqueduct, fountain, and lavandaria (laundry pool) in the Mission front yard. The lavandaria end spout is a Native-carved Cougar’s head and is the oldest public sculpture in the state of California. The museum also featured displays of Native American artifacts, which included displays of traditional crafts and tools. It was incredible.

After walking through the buildings we entered the cemetery. In the centre of the cemetery we found the Historic Mausoleum which has been in use since 1893 and hosts the remains of Franciscan friars, Native Indians and a number of prominent citizens who were part of the early history of Santa Barbara. As we walked around the cemetery we discovered a plaque that detailed the story of Juana Maria, a Native American woman who is also known as the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island after she lived there alone from 1835 until her discovery in 1853. Her story was incredibly intriguing and we have since purchased Island of the Blue Dolphins so we could learn more. She is buried behind the church tower.

Tours of Old Santa Barbara Mission are available Monday – Sunday 9:00 am to 4:30 pm (Summer) or 9:00 to 4:15 (Autumn & Winter) except for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. The mission continues to serve the community as the parish church so visiting on a Sunday will provide you with the opportunity to join in their regular mass. We chose the self-guided tour. You can also choose to take a Docent-Guided tour.

Old Santa Barbara Mission is situated at 2201 Laguna Street, Santa Barbara, CA  93105