Mission San Juan Capistrano

Mrs. Rogers’ 4th gradersFeb. 5, 2014

Our docent welcomes us and begins our tour of the mission.

This is the kind of bed the padres and soldiers slept on. It doesn’t look very comfy, does it?

This is a soldier’s uniform. There were a lot of artifacts from the past like an outdoor stove, weapons, and other clothing.

This was a cow hide . The padres taught the Indians how to dry hides to use to cover furniture or for blankets or clothing. It felt soft and smooth.

Every mission had its own cattle brand so they could tell whose cow they were if they wandered onto a neighbor’s land.

The Acjachemen, or Juaneno, Indians lived here. They were peaceful hunters and gatherers.

The padres and Indians had gardens at the mission to grow their own food. They also grew different crops.

Mission San Juan Capistrano was the only mission to have these outdoor furnaces.

The mission was made of adobe bricks. Adobe is made from mud, cow dung, and hay or grasses. This wall is over 200 years old. Don’t touch!

This is the gold altar inside the Father Serra Chapel. You must be very quiet and respectful inside.

The walls inside the chapel were painted with beautiful designs that looked like waves and flowers. They made paints from plants.

This model shows that it was built in a cross shape. It was the only stone church. Part of it was destroyed in an earthquake and will never be restored out of respect for the people who died inside.

The church bells are over 200 years old. You can’t touch them.

Members of the Acjamenen tribe and other volunteers were there. They had baskets, rattles, animal skins, pottery, and other items that we could look at and touch.

These woven baskets are like what the Indians used to make. They used reeds and grasses.

We had a great time at the mission!