When I heard that La Purisma Mission might be closed in July, I begged Big Guy and Grams to take me up there so I could take some pictures of it. So, off we went with a picnic lunch and my new DSLR.
I’ve always loved this mission since the first time we went there. It’s not located in an urban or suburban setting as most of the other missions are. Well, San Miguel isn’t too crowded in, but it is right next to the highway.
La Purisma is set in a little canyon area with woodlands and fields around it. Now, it’s true that mission was almost completely reconstructed by the CCC in the 1940s (it was re-dedicated on the morning of 7 December 1941). But, I have to think that the re-creators were fairly historically accurate.
It was warm on the day we went there, but inside the adobe walls it was a good 20 degrees (F) cooler. Everything was in bloom and it never felt crowded. Going through the mission, you can see just how the mission operated. They had to grow their own fruit, grain and veg and raise their own cattle. Then, they had to turn those into food and clothing and furniture. They also had to supply food for the Presidio in Santa Tourista where we live.
It wasn’t just the padres and the Chumash Indians. There was also a platoon of Spanish soldiers. So, there was plenty of work to go around. Most of it, of course, fell on the backs of the Chumash. You can really tell the pecking order in the accommodations.
If you would like to see more of these pics, you can go to my Flickr page.
A dopo e Moochas Smoochas,
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