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document have been preserved. Obvious typographical errors
have been corrected.
[Illustration: George Wharton James]
[Illustration: Rev. G. D. Doyle]
PICTURESQUE PALA
The Story of the Mission Chapel of San Antonio de Padua
Connected with Mission San Luis Rey
Fully Illustrated
by
GEORGE WHARTON JAMES
Author of
In and Out of the Old Missions of California; The Franciscan
Missions of California; Indian Basketry; Indian Blankets and
Their Makers; The Indian's Secret of Health; Etc., Etc.
1916
The Radiant Life Press
Pasadena, California
List of Chapters
Page
Foreword 5
I. San Luis Rey Mission and Its Founder 7
II. The Founding of Pala 14
III. Who Were the Ancestors of the Palas 18
IV. The Pala Campanile 23
V. The Decline of San Luis Rey and Pala 31
VI. The Author of Ramona at Pala 34
VII. Further Desolation 37
VIII. The Restoration of the Pala Chapel 41
IX. The Palatingua Exiles 44
X. The Old and New Acqueducts 55
XI. The Palas As Farmers 60
XII. With the Pala Basket Makers 63
XIII. Lace and Pottery Makers 68
XIV. The Religious and Social Life of
the Palas 72
XV. The Collapse and Rebuilding of
The Campanile 81
Copyright, 1916
by
Edith E. Farnsworth
FOREWORD
There were twenty-one _Missions_ established by the Franciscan Fathers
in California, during the Spanish rule. In connection with these
Missions, certain _Asistencias_, or chapels, were also founded.
The difference between a mission and a chapel is oftentimes not
understood, even by writers well informed upon other subjects. A
_Mission_ was what might be termed the parent church, while the
_Chapel_ was an auxiliary or branch establishment.
The little mission chapel, or _asistencia_, of San Antonio de Padua de
Pala, has been an increasing object of interest ever since the
Palatingua, or Warner's Ranch, Indians, came and settled here, when
they were removed from their time-immemorial home, by order of the
Supreme Court of California, affirmed by the Supreme Court of the
United States. A century ago the beautiful and picturesque Pala Valley
was inhabited by Indians. To give them the privileges of the Catholic
Church and of the arts and crafts of civilization, the padres of San
Luis Rey Mission, twenty miles to the west, established this
_asistencia_, and caused the little chapel to be built. The quaint and
individualistic bell-tower always was an object of interest to
Californians and tourists alike, and thousands visited it. But
additional interest was aroused and keenly directed towards Pala, when
it was known that the severe storm of January, 1916, which caused
considerable damage throughout the whole state--had undermined the
Pala Campanile and it had tumbled over, breaking into fragments, but,
fortunately, doing no injury to the bells.
With characteristic energy and determination Father George D. Doyle,
the pastor, set to work to clear away the ruins, secure the bells from
possible injury, and interest the friends of the Chapel to secure
funds enough for its re-erection. Citizens of Los Angeles, Pasadena,
San Diego, etc., readily and cheerfully responded. The tower was
rebuilt, in exactly the same location, and as absolutely a replica of
the original as was possible, except that the base was made of
reinforced and solid concrete, covered with adobe, and the
well-remembered cobble-stones of the original tower-base, with the
original building materials, bells, timbers, and rawhide. Even the
cactus was replaced. So perfectly was this rebuilding done that I
question whether Padre Peyri, its original builder, would realize that
it was not his own tower.
Sunday, June 4, 1916, was selected for the dedication ceremony of the
new Campanile, and to give friends of the mission chapel a reasonably
full and accurate account of its appearance and history this brochure
has been prepared, with the full approbation and assistance of Father
Doyle, to whom my sincere thanks are hereby earnestly tendered for his
cordial co-operation.
George Wharton James.
Pasadena, California,
May, 1916.
[Illustration: Padre Antonio Peyri, Founder of San Luis Rey and Pala]
Picturesque Pala
CHAPTER I.
San Luis Rey Mission and its Founder.
What a wonderful movement was that wave of religious zeal, of
proselyting fervor, that accompanied the great colonizing efforts of
Spain in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
_Conquistadores and friars_--one as earnest as the other--swept over
the New World. Cortés was no more bent upon his conquests than Ugarte,
Kino and Escalante were upon theirs; Coronado had his counterpart in
Marcos de Nizza, and Cabrillo in Junipero Serra. The one class sought
material conquest, the other spiritual; the one, to amass countries
for their sovereign, fame and power for themselves, wealth for their
followers; the other, to amass souls, to gain virtue in the sight of
God, to build churches and crowd them with aborigines they had "caught
in the gospel net." Both were full of indomitable energy and
unquenchable zeal, and few epochs in history stand out more
wonderfully than this for their great achievements in their respective
domains.
Mexico and practically the whole of North and South America were
brought under Spanish rule, and the various Catholic orders--Jesuits,
Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites--dotted the countries over with
churches, monasteries and convents that are today the marvel and joy
of the architect, antiquarian and historian.
Alta California felt the power of these movements in three distinct
waves. The two first were somewhat feeble,--the discovery by Cabrillo,
and rediscovery sixty years later by Vizcaino,--the third powerful and
convincing. During this epoch was started and carried on the
colonization of California by the bringing in of families from Mexico,
and its Christianization by the baptizing of the aborigines of the new
land into the Church, the making of them real or nominal Christians,
and the teaching of them the arts and crafts of civilization.
Twenty-one missions were established, reaching from San Diego on the
south, to Sonoma on the north, and great mission churches and
establishments rose up in the land, of which the padres, in the main,
were the architects and the Indians the builders.
Second in this chain--the next mission establishment north of the
parent mission of San Diego--was San Luis Rey, dedicated to St. Louis
IX, the king of France, who reigned from 1226 to 1270, renowned for
his piety at home and abroad, and who was especially active in the
Crusades. He was canonized by Pope Boniface VIII, in 1297, in the
reign of his grandson, Phillip the Fair, and his _day_ is observed on
the 25th of August.
The Mission of San Luis Rey was the eighteenth to be founded and
Junipero Serra, the venerable leader of the zealous band of
Franciscans, had passed to his reward fourteen years before, his
mantle descending in turn to Francisco Palou, and then to Fermin
Francisco de Lasuen, under whose regime as _Padre Presidente_ it was
established. The friar put in charge of the work was one of the most
energetic, capable, competent and lovable geniuses the remarkable
system of the Franciscan Order ever produced in California. He was
zealous but practical, dominating but kindly, a wonderful organizer
yet great in attending to detail, gifted with tremendous energy, a
master as an architect, and withal so lovable in his nature as to win
all with whom he came in contact, Indians as well as Spaniards and
Mexicans. The Mission was founded on the 13th of June, 1798, and yet
so willingly did the Indians work for him, that on the 18th of July
six thousand adobes were already made for the new church. It was
completed in 1802. For over a century it has stood, the wonder,
amazement and delight of all who have seen it.
Alfred Robinson, the Boston merchant, who came to California in 1828
and settled here, engaging in business for many years, visited San
Luis Rey in 1829, and has left us a graphic picture of the buildings
of San Luis Rey and the life of its Indians. Riding over the barren
and hilly back country from San Diego he discants upon the weariness
of the forty-mile journey until the Mission is perceived from the top
of an eminence in the center of a rich and cultivated valley. He
continues:
It was yet early in the afternoon when we rode up to the
establishment, at the entrance of which many Indians had
congregated to behold us, and as we dismounted, some stood
ready to take off our spurs, whilst others unsaddled the
horses. The Reverend Father was at prayers, and some time
elapsed ere he came, giving us a most cordial reception.
Chocolate and refreshments were at once ordered for us, and
rooms where we might arrange our dress, which had become
somewhat soiled by the dust.
This Mission was founded in the year 1798, by its present
minister, Father Antonio Peyri, who had been for many years a
reformer and director among the Indians. At this time (1829)
its population was about three thousand Indians, who were all
employed in various occupations. Some were engaged in
agriculture, while others attended to the management of over
sixty thousand head of cattle. Many were carpenters, masons,
coopers, saddlers, shoemakers, weavers, etc., while the
females were employed in spinning and preparing wool for
their looms, which produced a sufficiency of blankets for
their yearly consumption. Thus every one had his particular
vocation, and each department its official superintendent, or
alcalde; these were subject to the supervision of one or more
Spanish _mayordomos_, who were appointed by the missionary
father, and consequently under his immediate direction.
The building occupies a large square, of at least eighty or
ninety yards each side; forming an extensive area, in the
center of which a fountain constantly supplies the
establishment with pure water.
The front is protected by a long corridor, supported by
thirty-two arches, ornamented with latticed railings, which,
together with the fine appearance of the church on the right,
presents an attractive view to the traveller; the interior is
divided into apartments for the missionary and mayordomos,
store-rooms, workshops, hospitals, rooms for unmarried males
and females, while near at hand is a range of buildings
tenanted by the families of the superintendents. There is
also a guard-house, where were stationed some ten or a dozen
soldiers, and in the rear spacious granaries stored with an
abundance of wheat, corn, beans, peas, etc., also large
enclosures for wagons, carts, and the implements of
agriculture. In the interior of the square might be seen the
various trades at work, presenting a scene not dissimilar to
some of the working departments of our state prisons.
Adjoining are two large gardens, which supply the table with
fruit and vegetables, and two or three large "_ranchos_" or
farms are situated from five to eight leagues distant,
where the Indians are employed in cultivating and
domesticating cattle.
The church is a large, stone edifice, whose exterior is not
without some considerable ornament and tasteful finish; but
the interior is richer, and the walls are adorned with a
variety of pictures of saints and Scripture subjects,
glaringly colored, and attractive to the eye. Around the
altar are many images of the saints, and the tall and massive
candelabra, lighted during mass, throw an imposing light upon
the whole.
Mass is offered daily, and the greater portion of the Indians
attend; but it is not unusual to see numbers of them driven
along by alcaldes, and under the whip's lash forced to the
very doors of the sanctuary. The men are placed generally
upon the left, and the females occupy the right of the
church, so that a passage way or aisle is formed between them
from the principal entrance to the altar, where zealous
officials are stationed to enforce silence and attention. At
evening again, "_El Rosario_" is prayed, and a second time
all assemble to participate in supplication to the Virgin.
[Illustration: The Pala Campanile, Showing the Cactus Growing by
the Side of the Cross.]
[Illustration: The Pala Chapel and Campanile Before the Restoration.]
In this earlier account he adds comment upon the treatment some of the
Indians received at the hands of their superiors which would lead one
to infer that the rule of the padres was one of harsh severity rather
than of affection and wise discipline. Later, however, he writes more
moderately, as follows:
On the inside of the main building it formed a large square,
where he found at least one or two hundred young Indian girls
busily employed spinning, each one with her spinning wheel,
and the different apartments around were occupied with the
different trades, such as carpenters, blacksmiths,
shoemakers, tailors, most useful for the establishment. There
were also weavers, busily at work weaving blankets, all
apparently contented and happy in their vocation. Passing out
of the square, he strolled towards the garden, where he
entered and found, much to his surprise, a great variety of
fruit trees--pears, apples, peaches, plums, figs, oranges and
lemons, besides a large vineyard, bearing the choicest
grapes.
While it is very possible the Mission of San Juan Capistrano--the next
one further north--was the most imposing, architecturally, of all the
California Missions in its prime, it was not allowed to stand long
enough for us to know its glory, the earthquake of 1812 destroying its
tower, after which time it remained in ruins. San Luis Rey suffered
materially from the hands of the spoilers during the sad epoch of
_Secularization_ and when I first saw it, some thirty years ago,
nearly all its outbuildings were destroyed. Yet even in its ruined
condition it exercised great fascination over all who viewed it, and
careful study revealed that, architecturally, it was the most perfect
Mission of the whole chain. While not as solidly built as either Santa
Barbara, San Carlos at Monterey or San Carlos in the Carmelo Valley,
it was architecturally more perfect. Indeed it was the only Mission
that combined within itself all the elements of the so-called Mission
Style of architecture.
To those unfamiliar with the history of California and the Missions
the question naturally arises, when they find the buildings in ruins,
the Indians scattered, and all traces of the establishments' former
glory gone, "Whence and Why this ruin?" [A]
To answer fully would require more space than this brochure affords,
and for further information those interested are referred to my larger
work.[A] In brief it may be stated that the decline of the Missions
came about through the cupidity of Mexican politicians, who deprived
the padres of their temporal control, released the Indians from their
parental care, committed the property of the Missions into the
latter's hands and then deliberately and ruthlessly robbed them on
every hand. The work of demoralizing the Indians was followed by the
Americans who took possession of California soon after the Mexican act
of _secularization_ of the Missions was passed, and the days of the
gold excitement which came soon after pretty nearly completed the sad
work.
Hence it is only since the later growth of population in California
that a desire to preserve these old Missions has arisen. Under the
energetic direction of Dr. Charles F. Lummis, the Landmarks Club has
done much needed work in preserving them from further ruin, and at San
Luis Rey the Franciscans themselves have systematically carried on the
work of restoration until, save that the Indians are gone and the
outbuildings are less extensive, one might deem himself at the Mission
soon after its original erection.
FOOTNOTE:
[A] _In and Out of the Old Missions_, Little, Brown & Co., Boston.