The Native Americans of the missions

The Native Americans who lived on the missions came from many different tribes and spoke many different launguages. Once they got to the missions, they were taught how to speak Sapnish, practice a new way of life, and observe a a new religion. Some liked it; many did not. Some were passive to the Spanish while others attacked the missions in rage. Most tribes came to the missions out of curiosity. They wanted the small gifts the fathers brought them: beads, clothing, and blankets. In many cases, it was gifts like these that Padres used to bribe the natives to build the first buildings of the missions. Many found out too late that once they set foot inside the mission, they could not leave.

The jobs at the missions were divided up by gender and age. The children spent their days fetching and carrying things for the older people, as well as gathering olives from the trees and chasing birds from the fields. In the afternoon, the children gathered firewood and picked straw out of the piles of wool for the young women to sew. The young men usually herded the cattle and helped with the tanning of the hides. The young women spent their days cooking and weaving. The older women made candles and soap and tended the gardens and orchards. The older men slaughtered the cattle and tanned the hides, and helped with the gardening. Everyone participated in the harvest.