The Spanish thought that if the Indians were Catholic, they would support Spain’s government. The three main purposes of the California Missions were to spread Catholicism to help Spain gain power, and to make products to trade Father Juniperro Serra was put in charge of setting up all the missions. San Gabriel Arcangel has an interesting history that includes the California Indians and their resources, life at the mission, the many hardships, and finally secularization of the mission. California Indians populated the land of Alta California and used natural resources to survive for hundreds of years. Along the coast, there lived an Indian tribe called the Chumash. The Chumash made many things to trade. For instance, they had shells for money and used pipes, bowls, and beads for trading. The men and women found food. For example, the men hunted while the women collected berries, mushrooms, and acorns. The Chumash also wore clothes. To explain, the men wore string belts while the women wore deer skin skirts. The Indians also collected water. They built large dams and put the water in stone bowls. In keeping with Spain’s plan to settle all of Alta California, Mission San Gabriel Arcangle was founded in 1771 along the El Camino Real, the name given to the road that connected all of the missions. The Mission was built here because the missionaries could trade goods easily. San Gabriel Arcangel is mission #4. The Indians got different jobs than they had before. For example, the men farmed while the women sewed, weaved, and cooked. The missionaries taught the Indians things also. For instance, they taught them Catholicism. San Gabriel Arcangel had another name. The other name is the Mother of California Agriculture. It was famous for its agriculture, cacti fence, and different kinds of food. Despite the many success’s, there were hardships that affected life at Mission
