This is the kind of picture you expect someone to take in Spain, modernity in front of a ruin. Most people don’t think of California as having anything old and certainly no ruins. But then most people don’t know history, so it’s easy to excuse them.
These are remains from a massive church built for the Mission San Juan Capistrano, built in the early 19th century, destroyed in an earthquake in 1812.
The mission was rebuilt, but not on the same large scale.
One thing that fascinates me is the building materials, people use what they have on hand. In this case, not much of one building material, so they used many. Adobe, of course, rocks as well as some fired bricks.
There were strong wooden beams for support, had to have been brought in from somewhere else, either up from Mexico or on board ships. And they weren’t strong enough when the earthquake hit.
Each mission has it’s own character, to me, it’s the remains of the large church that really stand out. I couldn’t help wondering, is this girl listening to the audio tour or is she playing Pokemon go?
These are the two larger originals bells, they stand on the footprint of the original bell tower, with an image of Father Junipero Sera peeking through. There is a special exhibition about him inside the mission building.
When the Church was rebuilt, no tower. Instead, the bells were installed in a wall, the two big bells are replicas of the original and the two small ones are original. Tradition is to ring the bells by hand, using the rope. Although for visitors there is a sign, please do not ring the bells.
I love all these textures. Another thing about this mission is the decision to stay with arrested decay. In San Fernando, all has been repaired except one small wall. Here the decision has been to leave the effects of time out in the open, although it wouldn’t surprise me if some maintenance is being done.
Often it’s only when I have the chance to take a close look at the photos do I see the details. Like the fact that the bracing for this bell is shaped like a cross.
Or the design around this window includes a cross as well.
Unlike the window next to it that doesn’t.
Of course, old windows were very small, this one may not have been glazed. The iron support is new, had there been iron to support the church, it may not have fallen.
What looks like a reflection in the glass may not be. I don’t think there is any glass, it’s just blue sky with what looks like chicken wire in the window. I may be completely wrong about this, I just took the picture.
I know, this image of Father Sera welcoming a young native to the faith is completely un-PC. But then I hate political correctness. This is what was important at the time, civilizing and taming these new lands. Of course, Catholicism was a big part of that effort. I know people like to bash the Missions for destroying native life. Funny how none of those people ever bash Islam for it’s massive expansion – where it was convert or die by the sword.
Once the Mexicans took over Alta California they secularized the missions and this one became a ranch. The original document signed by Abraham Lincoln returning the missions to the church used to be here. Although I’m not Christian, I love seeing these old missions being used for their original purpose again.
Back to wonderful textures.
Today we enjoy something that shows it’s age, I wonder if this weren’t such a busy tourist spot if the people who worship, learn and live here wouldn’t prefer a refurbished site.
Love it when lichen becomes part of the architecture.
Or algae in the fountain.
I have more images, but that I don’t like the posts to get too long.
Leah