Saturday, January 31, 2015

California Trip | Day 6

Good morning! Today we are at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. It is so amazing here! The day was warm and sunny with a gentle cool breeze blowing through the palm trees above us.  It is a beautiful sound. Walking through the ruins of the old stone church was so peaceful, and beautiful. It's the kind of place that makes you want to spend hours there.  If you want to see more photos please check out our other blog (link is at the bottom of this post). 


Mission San Juan Capistrano was first founded October 30th, 1775 by Father Lasuen and a detachment of soldiers. But a few weeks after they received word of a revolt in San Diego, the group returned to San Diego to help. The mission was re-founded on November 1, 1776 (All saints day). It is the seventh of twenty-one to be founded in Alta California


 Like the other six missions, San Juan Capistrano was established to expand the boundaries of Spain and to spread Christianity to the Native peoples of California.The missions were the center of learning and training for the Natives. Over the next thirty years, the Mission grew by leaps and bounds. In 1806 Mission San Juan Capistrano had a population of over 1,000 people, over 10,000 head of cattle and they had completed the "Great Stone Church"


Sadly after 1812 the mission began to decline. An earthquake struck causing the Great Stone Church to cave in during a worship service, killing forty people who tried to escape through the doors that had been twisted in their frames. The Spanish government could not protect and keep the mission's supplied with the supplies they needed. In 1821 Mexico won its independence from Spain, By 1834 the Mexican government decided to end the mission system completely, the land from Mission San Juan Capistrano was divided and sold to twenty prominent Families from California. The Mission was sold at auction to John Forster Governor, Pio Pico's brother-in-law for $710 even though it was valued to be worth more than $54,000. Over the next twenty years, the mission was a private ranch property of the Forster family

In 1848 California became part of the United States as part of the "Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo" Only two years after becoming a territory of the United States in 1850 it became a state. President Lincoln gave the mission back to the Catholic church.


On March 9th, every year at dawn swallows return to the mission to rebuild their mud nests clinging to the shell of the old Stone Church. People from all over the world gather to watch "the miracle of the swallows" as the birds arrive from Argentina. On October 23rd, they take flight again circling the mission twice as if to say goodbye then turn their wings back toward Argentina.  

So today I'm wearing a white knee length skirt, white tank top, tan sandals, dolphin necklace and clear stud earrings.

Skirt: Vintage Store
Shirt: Walmart
Jewelry: Necklace: SeaWorld Earrings:Walmart
Sunglasses: Ross


Our next stop? Huntington beach! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!


See Day 7 Here

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