Brigitte Novelo

Liberal Studies 375

K. Cheek

19 September 2016

DBQ #1

The Spanish settlers arrived in California in 1769 with an ideology of building

missions and presidios (military forts) to spread Christianity. The Spanish would enforce

their theology to the Native Americans, since they believed they were uncivilized and had

no sense of religion. The Spanish settlers wanted to colonize and claim the land. Father

Junipero Serra, led La Santa Expedicion to convert the Native Americans. The twenty-

one missions are found along the coast of California, Father Serra founded nine of the

twenty-one. The presidios (military forts) were used by the Spanish as protection,

protecting the nearby missions. Life in the missions for the Native Americans was

negative because of the treatment, enforcing conversion of religion and forced to work at

the missions for long hours.

According to Padre Horra, The treatment shown to the Indians is the most cruel I

have ever read in history. For the slightest things, they receive heavy flogging, are

shackled, and put in stocks, and treated with so much cruelty that they are kept who days

without water.(1.) The Spanish treated the Native Americans horribly since they looked

down upon them. The Spanish believed they were uncivilized, and would enforce them to

change. The Spanish showed no respect for their beliefs. Father Luis Jayme, describes the

behavior of the Spanish soldiers with the Native American women. He writes how the

soldiers would constantly go after them showing no mercy and raping them. He writes,
There is not a single mission where all the gentiles have not been scandalized, and even

on the roads, so I have been told. (2) The native women suffered severely by the sexual

attacks especially those who would be impregnated.

The Spanish arrived in California with one idea in mind, this was to convert all

the Native Americans in the religion they believed was the best to follow. Native

Americans lived a restricted life they had to attend church daily at certain times enforced

by the Spanish priests. Those natives who did not follow the rules would be severely

punished. The enforcing of conversion to Christianity was enforced by the priests at the

missions. According to Father Junipero Serra, The Christianized natives pray twice daily

with the priest in the church. More than 120 of them confess and many who have died

used to do it as well (3). The report by Father Serra, described how the Native

Americans were force to learn a new language, and follow norms they did not understand

all because the Spanish believed would make them civilized.

The Spanish arriving in California did a lot of harm to the Natives. The Native

Americans were not only forced to change their thoughts and beliefs. They were also

forced to change the way of living they had been accustomed to. Natives were hunter-

gatherers, but this all changed once the Spanish forced the natives to work at the missions

for extensive hours. The Native Americans were the ones who worked without pay.

According to the quote found on Seeking the Golden State PowerPoint, Many missions

grew quite wealthy, thanks to the hard work of Native Americans. They farmed the land,

made wine, and tended cattle The missions played a large part in turning native peoples

from hunter-gatherer society toward an agriculture one.(4).

It is important to be aware how the arrival of the Spanish in California impacted

the Native Americans negatively. They were force to learn a new language and follow

norms they did not understand. Their families were separated; the Spanish sexually

abused the women. The way they lived their lives for several years all changed once they

were force to live in the missions and convert to Christianity. The Spanish only were

looking for ways in which they could advance. The Natives Americans were stripped

away from their homelands because those with more power and resources forced them

into a way of living that was not for them. The way the Spanish affected the lives of the

natives would be marked in history. All the thousands that died, due to all the new

diseases they were not immune to, and several of those who stood up for themselves and

their families were killed by the Spanish. When all they were trying to do was fight back

for the unjust treatment. The whipping, which they were force to endure for reasons they

did not understand. The Natives in California suffered deeply with the arrival of the

Spanish, history shows how their life changed for good with the building of the missions.
 Works Cited

1. 1799, Padre Antonio de la Concepcion Horra of Mission San Miguel reporting to the

New Spain viceroy.

2. Father Luis Jayme Criticizes the Behavior of Spanish Soldiers, 1772.

3. Monterey California, July 1, 1784. Father Junipero Serra and Father Mathias Antonio

Noriega, Report on the Missions.

4. Seeking the Golden State Power Point.