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February 17, 2014

San Buenaventura Mission















The San Buenaventura Mission was founded March 31, 1782 by Father Junípero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan friar, on land originally inhabited by the coastal Chumash Native Americans in their village of Mitsquanaqa’n. Although land was promised to the 500 displaced inhabitants, very little was allocated, and the few parcels finally “given” in the 1840s were soon lost. Many Chumash found work on local ranches, but diseases further ravaged their population. The lot of the Chumash continued to deteriorate with the arrival of the Anglo-Americans in 1847. In 1855 a small piece of land 60 miles inland and to the north near the Santa Ynez mission was “set aside” for the last remaining only 109 coastal Chumash survivors.


7 comments:

  1. When outsiders and the Chumash met. The Chumash always suffered for it.
    Fantastic photos! The texture and feel of the second one is amazing. You are so good!

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  2. I agree with Mr. Tillett on comments and the colors are amazing.

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  3. L, I have a profound and passionate affection for your intellect . . . for your ability to consistently capture such extraordinary images . . . in short, I am infatuated with who you are.

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  4. So many, many nasty events and lessons in history. Your turn over a rock and . . . . And in this case, the gorgeous, colorful interior of the church vs. what its people did. I've played with the idea many times, but I'm pretty sure I'll ever resolve the puzzle. As I do with the great cathedrals, I think,"Well, at least they left a beautiful building."

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  5. though it is hard to me to look at churches repressing the thought of the cruel history behind, as Banjo52 also says - i also can't stop wondering at the ability of humankind to create such marvels...
    and i never get such vibrant colours in churches!!! :-) these are simply perfect, and so well-balanced!

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  6. Very impressive photography! I've taken some photos in a couple of missions and they didn't turn out as nice as these.

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  7. No native people took the kind of beating California Indians did. Having said that, I love this mission and the jewel colors that dominate. I hope you got to see the show on California settlement at the Huntington. Very interesting.

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