Browse Items (19 total)

Dance headdresses of the native peoples of California by Louis Choris (1822)

This document, which consists of 15 articles, is the plan formulated by the Mexican Congress in 1833 to secularize the California missions. It stipulates, among other things, that the mission churches would become parishes, and that the friars would…

Many of the baptismal manuscripts make a distinction between solemn baptisms and private baptisms. Solemn (now known as public) baptisms were likely regular baptisms where the Thamien individual willingly accepted the rite. Private baptisms were…

During the excavation, almost completely intact skeletons of the Ohlone people were found along with the different items including beads and arrowheads that were often placed inside the cemeteries along with the bodies as these held items of…

In this letter to the governor of Alta California, Fr. Francisco García Diego expressed his opinion regarding secularization. The Franciscan from Mission Santa Clara believed that there were not enough secular priests to replace the friars. …

In 1812 the Spanish government sent an extensive questionnaire to learn about the local culture and society of its colonies. In 1814 Mission Santa Clara responded to this important document revealing significant information about the beliefs,…

Illustration II : Isle of Cuba [Cortez Expedition].

During the excavation, almost completely intact skeletons of the Ohlone people were found along with the different items including beads and arrowheads that were often placed inside the cemeteries along with the bodies as these held items of…

Indians, working the Missions of the Spanish settlers of the Americas

Report prepared by missionaries Thomás de la Peña and Joseph Antonio Murguía for Fray Junípero Serra in December of 1777, the year that Mission Santa Clara was founded. The report consists of a detailed description of the first Mission Santa Clara…