Native Life at Mission San Miguel

In this episode, we look at Native American life at Mission San Miguel Arcángel through the eyes of the padres who oversaw the mission. 

Mission San Miguel is located in central California, almost equally distant from San Francisco to the north and Los Angeles to the south.

In 1813, the Spanish Government sent a questionnaire to the priests of the California Missions to learn about the life of the native people at each of the missions. 

Each mission provided answers with more or less detail depending on the temperament and experience of the missionaries. 

The padres recorded their observations of the life of the native people at the mission and often wrote down what they understood about indigenous customs outside the mission boundaries. 

Their answers provide valuable glimpses into the lives of the native community at each mission over 200 years ago.