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History of
San Juan Bautista Mission
San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist). The fifteenth Franciscan
mission established in California. The site was chosen between San Carlos
and Santa Clara, about 6 miles from the present town of Sargent, Santa Clara
County. The
native name was Popelout, or Popeloutchom. Here some buildings had already been
erected by men from Monterey, and on June 24, 1797, President Lasuen founded
the new mission. By the end of the year there had been 85 baptisms, and in 1800
the neophytes numbered 516. These increased to 702 in 1810, 843 in 1820, and
1,248 in 1823, after which the decline began. The stock and crops prospered from
the beginning. In 1810 there were 6,175 large stock and 9,720 small stock; in
1820, 11,700 and 9,530 respectively. The average crop for the decade ending
1810 was 3,700 bushels; for that ending 1820, 3,300 bushels. In 1830 there was a
considerable decrease in stock, but the crops remained good. For the first two
or three years after its founding the mission had considerable trouble with the Ansaime, who lived in the mountains about 25 miles to the
east. These were finally
defeated and a number of captives brought to the mission. A new mission church,
begun in 1803, was dedicated in 1812. In 1832 there were 916 neophytes. The
total number of baptisms from the time of its founding was 3,913, of whorl 2,015
were children. In 1835, 63 Indians were emancipated, but after that time there
is no further record. A number of whites settled in the region, and the place
became known as the pueblo of San Juan de Castro. In 1846 the orchard, all that
remained of the land improvements, was sold. The buildings continued in
possession of the Catholic Church, and are still in use. The Indians in the
neighborhood of San Juan Bautista belonged to the Costanoan linguistic family.
In its later years it drew many of its neophytes from San Joaquin valley, and
the Yokuts were probably well represented. Garcia, according to Bancroft
(Hist.
Cal., II, 339, 1886), speaks of an expedition to the Mariposas, the rancheria
of Nopochinches being named, in which 300 Indians of all ages and sexes were
brought to San Juan Bautista. A list of the villages from which neophytes were
drawn follows (Bancroft, op. cit., I, 557, 1886; Taylor in Cal. Farmer, Nov. 25,
1860), although several of them also supplied neophytes to San Carlos: Absayme (Ansaimas,
Ausaima = Ansaimes), Absayruc, Asystarca, Calendaruc (Kalindaruk), Chapana,
Echantac, Giguay, Guachurrones (Wacharones), Iratae, Jasniga, Jeboaltae,
Lithenca, Mitaldejama, Motssum (Mutsun), Onextaco, Onixaymas, Paisin (Pagosines
or Paysines), Popelout, Pouxouoma, Poitokwis, Suricuama, Tamarox, Teboaltac (=Jeboaltae),
Thithirii, Tipisastac (Tipsistana=Tipsistaca), Trutca, Uñijaima, Utchuchu,
Xisca (or Xixcaca), Xivirca, Yelmus.
Additional Mission
Resources
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includes some historical materials that may imply negative stereotypes
reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These
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interpreted to mean that the WebMasters in any way endorse the stereotypes
implied .
Handbook
of American Indians, 1906
Indian Missions of the
United StatesFree
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