What were the jobs at the missions?

California Gold Rush Other jobs included carpentry, building, weaving and leather-working. Padres, or religious leaders, oversaw the mission. They were assigned six soldiers to protect them and the mission properties.

Who did most of the work at the missions?

Native Californians
The people who did most of the work at the California missions were the Native Californians. It was the labor and skill of these men and women that made the missions prosperous. Native Californians, commonly called Indians, had been living in California for centuries before the Spanish padres and soldiers arrived.

Who were the Franciscan padres?

The Franciscans THE Padres were members of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209. In ecclesiastical language the Franciscans are known as friars, a word meaning “brother”. Missionary work has always been one of their specialties.

What is Mission Santa Cruz used for?

As with the other California missions, Mission Santa Cruz served as a site for ecclesiastical conversion of natives, first the Amah Mutsun people, the original inhabitants of the region renamed the “Ohlone” by the Spaniards, and later the Yokuts from the east.

What was life like in the missions?

The missionaries themselves lived a life of piety and poverty and were in constant danger and fear for their lives. Along with their Indian charges, they, too, toiled in the missions, farmlands, and ranches.

Can Franciscan friars marry?

Franciscan friars and sisters must be celibate, but lay members of the Third Order of Saint Francis or Secular Franciscan Order (called tertiaries) can indeed be married.

Why was the site chosen for Mission Santa Cruz?

The location for their 12th mission was chosen because it would allow them access to the coastal tribes that had remained out of the reach of the prosperous Mission Santa Clara, isolated as they were by the steep, thickly forested Santa Cruz Mountains.