Recently at the Mission, Preservation Staff has made essential stabilization repairs to the display structure housing the original Mission bells. This structure is located in the footprint of the bell tower of the Ruins of the Great Stone Church.

During preparations for the 2012 Romance of the Mission annual gala staff noticed the support beam holding these original and historic bells was beginning to fatigue and sag. As a result, monitoring efforts were put in place and by Spring 2013 it was determined that replacing the support beam would be necessary.

The original Mission bells are estimated to weigh over 500 pounds each, and are suspended by leather straps from a wooden beam that is supported on either side by a metal structure. Preservation staff members Sam U’Ren and Chris Bennett cleaned the bells, replaced the deteriorating wooden beam with a new Douglas fir beam, and replaced the leather straps. The new beam and overall structure continue to be a wonderful complement to the already beautiful Historic Mission grounds. We encourage you to stop by the Ruins of the Great Stone Church to admire them!

The original Mission bells before preservation treatment

The new and old wooden beams used to support the original Mission bells

Project Manager San U’Ren cleaning one of the original Mission bells

The wooden support structures used to hold up the original Mission bells during replacement of the wooden beam

The original Mission bells after successful completion of the Preservation project

Mission San Juan Capistrano has contracted the services of Susan Brown Painting Conservators and display Art Installation Services for the preservation and conservation of a 200-year-old painting in Serra Chapel.

Station of the Cross XII

In the Serra Chapel there is an old “Stations of the Cross” series of paintings that came from Mexico to Mission San Juan Capistrano in the early 1800’s. The 12th station from this set is missing, but in its place hangs another painting.

This painting, much larger than the others, is also from Mexico from the year 1800, and has been displayed at the Mission for 200 years. The years of exposure to harsh environment, movement and neglect took its toll on all of the paintings. In 1973 Father Vincent Lloyd Russell noted the poor condition of the large Station of the Cross and commissioned a copy of the painting, created by William Maldonado.

This reproduction was then attached to the top of the original work, covering it, as the Mission lacked the funds to restore the original painting. The 11 smaller Stations of the Cross paintings were all examined and conserved from 2005-09.  This larger painting remained untouched due to the expense and logistical difficulty of removing the reproduction painting to reveal the original painting below.

Following morning Mass in the Serra Chapel on May 30, approximately 40 years since it was hidden behind a reproduction, the original painting will be revealed and examined by the painting conservators, who will then propose a course of treatment.  Serra Chapel will remain open to the public during the work.  Visitors are invited to watch, though the entire process is expected to take at least several hours. 

Serra Chapel circa 1888

Submitted by
Jennifer Ring, Museum Registrar
Mission San Juan Capistrano 

Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana opened a new exhibition on Friday October 12 titled “Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology”.  It is a traveling exhibition making its debut in the U.S. with previous venues in Spain and Canada.  The exhibition highlights movie props, still photographs, video clips and models used in the “Indiana Jones” film series.

At the end of the exhibit is a space to showcase local archaeological finds at each venue.  Mission San Juan Capistrano was honored to be asked to participate in this exhibit by providing artifacts from its collection for this portion of the exhibit.

Two of the Mission’s objects highlight the importance of preservation.  A silver chalice from the 1800’s and a wooden statue from the late 1700’s were not found in archaeological digs but rather have been in continual use and carefully preserved at the Mission for many years.

Also on exhibit from Mission San Juan Capistrano are two stone architectural pieces that were once part of the Great Stone Church.  December 8 of this year will mark the 200^th anniversary of the earthquake that destroyed the church and tragically took 40 lives.

The last case featuring artifacts from the Mission highlights recent finds on Mission grounds.  During the current Gate House construction and late last year during routine maintenance on water pipes near the Serra Chapel artifacts were found that are a reminder the Mission has been home to many people for centuries.  A coin, a piece of a horse bit and fragments of glass and porcelain offer a small glimpse  into the lives of residents of San Juan Capistrano in the 1800’s.

“Indian Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology” will close in April 2013.    These small treasures will then return to the Mission where many will continue to be exhibited for the enjoyment of Mission visitors.

“Mission Treasures: Historic Collections Revealed” first opened to the public in May 2011 as a short term, temporary exhibit showcasing some of the Missions’ permanent collection of art and artifacts.  The exhibit was so well received that it was extended indefinitely.

More than a year after its opening, Mission Museum staff have made a few changes both to preserve objects that have been exhibited for the past year and to give a fresh look to the exhibit.  First on the list of changes was to remove the “Lincoln document” from the exhibit.  While this artifact is certainly one of the most popular pieces on display, the Mission wishes to abide by generally accepted conservation guidelines and return the document to storage where its exposure to light and climate variation can be monitored and limited thus extending the life of this precious document for generations to come. 

Replacing the “Lincoln document” are selections from a recent archaeological find on Mission grounds.  Found in late 2011 during routine repair work to water pipes, these artifacts date to the mid 1800’s.  These artifacts were in use at the Mission during the time that the Forster family called Mission San Juan Capistrano home, 1845-1864.  Among the artifacts that are displayed are the remains of a Deringer pistol and pieces of Wedgewood porcelain.

A new acquisition that was shared in a previous blog post has been recently conserved and framed has also been added to the exhibition.  The portrait of Saint John of Capistrano will be displayed on the north wall of the exhibit.  It replaces a large painting that was part of the “Mission Treasures” exhibit since the opening, ”The Sixth Station of the Cross; Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus.”  This beautiful but damaged work was also returned to storage where it will be examined by conservators and preserved by Mission staff.  Also in its place is “The Immaculate Conception” another work from the Mission’s permanent collection that is in great need of conservation.  Mission San Juan Capistrano makes a priority of caring for and conserving works of art in it its collection and therefore displays, for a short time, works in need of treatment to share with Mission visitors the need for and importance of preserving works of art for future generations.

These new additions to the exhibit are already in place.  Mission staff hopes that visitors will enjoy the newly added treasures.

On November 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded. For the Acjachemen, the Spanish presence meant change, challenges, and a difficult choice. The Acjachemen were curious about the Spanish people, their clothing, technology, animals, food, and ideas. The Catholic priests, or padres, encouraged the Native people to move to the Mission to learn about the Catholic faith and become baptized.

Choosing baptism was a lifelong decision. The padres viewed it as a contract forever binding the individual with the Mission community.  No longer could they leave the Mission grounds without permission. They were now dedicating their lives to learn to be Spanish subjects. They would learn a new language, jobs, religion, and social customs. Many Acjachemen accepted the padres’ offer and joined the Mission. What choice would you have made?

Many jobs had to be done to build and maintain the Mission community.  Jobs were assigned based on age, gender, and ability to learn to speak Spanish and follow the Mission rules. 

Men’s Jobs

Padres placed men in four basic categories based on their ability to learn and speak Spanish and live by the Mission rules. A new social hierarchy developed with skilled craftsman at the top and general laborers at the bottom.        

Skilled Craftsman:  Masons, blacksmiths, carpenters, tanners, saddle makers, alcalde (Mission official/work supervisor)

Semi-Skilled Craftsman: Tallow workers, butchers, hide cleaners, cowboys

Horticulturists: Crop/garden/vineyard planters, pruners, managers

General Laborers/Field Hands: Adobe brick makers, roof, tile and brick production, clearing fields, field plowing, crop harvesting.

Women’s Jobs

Women’s jobs were similar to many of their native jobs such as food preparation and raising children. The biggest changes for women at the Mission involved there personal freedom. Padres placed all unmarried women in separate living quarters (monjeríos), or dormitories beginning around age ten to insure abstinence before marriage and to quicken the young girls’ assimilation into Spanish culture. Once married, women would live with their husband in family living quarters. Below are examples of jobs women were responsible for.

 

Grinding corn                                                           Hauling in drinking water

Caring for the sick                                                   Washing clothing

Preparing meals                                                       Weaving cloth

Supervising/raising children                                 Gathering firewood

Helping with grain threshing                                 

Children’s Jobs

Children were important to the Mission community. They started working at a young age, and had little time to play. As the boys and girls grew up they were in charge of caring for the animals, protecting the fields from hungry birds, and were taught various job skills. Girls learned to cook and weave wool cloth. Boys became apprentices to master craftsmen like a blacksmith, or began working in the fields or construction projects.

Around age ten, children were separated from their parents and lived in dormitories for girls and for boys. The padres did this to quicken the acculturation process, and to make sure they followed Mission rules and learned European ways.

To learn more about the Native American experience in Colonial California and daily life of the Mission please see:

Indian Life at the Old Mission by Edith Buckland Webb

Converting California: Indians and Franciscans in the Missions by James Sandos

Indians, Missionaries, and Merchants: The Legacy of Colonial Encounters on the California Frontiers

Before Treatment (photo courtesy of Aneta Zebala)

In late 2011 Mr. and Mrs. Brandon Birtcher donated a portrait of St. John of Capistrano to the Mission.  This oil on canvas painting is not signed by the artist but dates to sometime between the late 18^th century to the 19^th century.  It is likely that this work originally had been commissioned from a skilled artist to hang in a private home or chapel in Mexico.   At the time of donation the painting was in need of conservation and framing.  Painting conservator Aneta Zebala was contracted to restore the painting.  The conservation was sponsored by long time friends of the Mission, Warren and Jan Siegel. 

Painting Stretched During Conservation Treatment 

This painting was for many years hung in a place with less than perfect conditions and as a consequence now suffers from flaking paint layers, large losses particularly along the proper right side, poor conservation treatments and an old termite infestation where both the stretcher bars and the canvas were attacked.

Up close look of the canvas before treatment 

Ms. Zebala removed layers of discolored varnish and overpaint.  Overpaint was a common technique used in painting conservation in the 19^th and early 20^th century where conservators would paint over damage, covering the artist original paint. 

The painting was then shaved from its original stretcher bars and relined on a new red canvas.  Ms. Zebala chose the red canvas because the painting was originally done on a red canvas which was common at the time the work was created.  Once relined, the painting was cleaned, stabilized and placed on new stretcher bars.  Ms. Zebala then inpainted missing sections of the image to allow the painting to appear much the way the artist had intended.

The painting portrays St. John posed in victory after a battle with Ottoman Empire forces in Belgrade in July of 1456.  St. John is often called “the soldier saint” as he was sent by Pope Callistus III to help rally troops into battle against the forces of the Ottoman Empire even though he was near the age of 70 at the time.  John survived the battle but passed away from illness a short time later in Hungary in October 1456.  The Spanish text in the painting, common in Mexican “casta” paintings of the 18th and 19th century describes the victory of the Belgrade battle.

Upon completion of conservation, the staff of the Mission plan to frame this important work of art and add it to the exhibition “Mission Treasures: Historic Collection Revealed”.

After Treatment 

Submitted by
Jennifer Ring, Museum Registrar
Mission San Juan Capistrano 

The Acjachemen Supermarket

Before Mission San Juan Capistrano

Illustration by Mary Leighton Thomson

Long before the Spanish arrived to build Mission San Juan Capistrano, the land of Orange County was home to the Acjachemen (Ah-HAWSH-eh-men) people. For thousands of years, the Acjachemen people thrived because they understood their survival was interconnected with the natural world.  The oak woodlands, meadows, river marshes and ocean shores were their supermarket, pharmacy, and hardware store. The native Acjachemen viewed the land as something sacred that needed to be protected and carefully used to insure the livelihood of their people.

The Acjachemen used each plant community for food gathering.  The various environment communities are highlighted below showing the types of plants or animals found in each area.

 Oak Woodlands 

 
Oak Woodlands

Acorns consisted about 15-25% of their diet

Greens such as Miner’s Lettuce 10-15% of their diet

Meadows

Irvine Open Meadows

Seeds such as Chia 20-40% of their diet

Game or hunted animals 5-10%

Creek Side (Riparian) or Marshlands

Marshlands

Roots such as tule 10-15%

Ocean

Crystal Cove

Fish and Shell Fish 20-35%

Submitted by
Megan Dukett, Education Programming
Mission San Juan Capistrano