Spanish mission

Yesterday I visited a small old church commonly called Mission Dolores. It was one of about 18 missions built all over California in the late 1700's early1800's with the aim of converting the local Indian people to Christianity.  However within 50 years all of the local Indians had died about 5000, mainly from disease.  To quote one book I read " their entire universe, from their daily life to their spiritual beliefs, was erased. As psychotic a transformation as Pol,Pot's regime."  What does  that say about our history.

Anyway, the small mission church , built in 1791 , is still standing. It is considered the oldest building in SF.  A Basilica was built next door in the early 1900's. It was pleasant enough,  but I looked everywhere for some thing to acknowledge the Indians and could not find anything. Next I went into the small museum. There were clerical clothes , odds and ends the priests used, tools the Indians used, but no mention of them dying out, except for a book on display entitled " A .Time of little Choice, The disintegration of tribal culture in the SF bay area 1769 to 1810"  So into the cemetery I continued to search. I found 2 graves which looked like their wooden headstones had just been redone and a little statue of an Indian lady on a plinth with the inscription "Prayerful memory of our faithful Indians" . Lots and lots of other graves.

I walked off and found some lunch -another nice salad but with too many green leaves, not the first time . I talked to a local at the bar about the Mission museum. He said everyone knows the history of the area, how the Indians got wiped out, so why do they need reminding?  I said, what about visitors? He shrugged. I said goodbye and went to catch another 2 buses nd walked to the Haas- Lilienthal House, a Victoria House in the Queen Anne style built in 1886. I found it interesting.

Then home, then out for dinner.

Murals