Gonzalez 1

Joshua Gonzalez

LBS 375

Professor Cheek

Change that Arrived with the Spaniards

Humans are creatures of habit, and it seems that when forced changed occurs, it is

difficult to see any positives come from this change. For Native Americans living in California,

change accompanied the Spanish colonizers that arrived on the coast of California. For

generations, Native Americans had developed thriving societies that can be said to be as civilized

as those of the Spaniards. The Spanish established missions and presidios, forts, on the coast

which would later alter the way California Native Americans lived. Life for Native Americans

was evidently inferior to how they had lived post Spanish contact. Their language and religion

were changed while becoming enslaved to their conquerors.

Missions and presidios were established to convert and control the natives,

changing their savage beliefs to those which aligned with Spanish ideology. Once the natives

encountered the missions, they were not allowed to leave and were forced to attend mass

regularly. The natives appeared at mass mostly due to fact that Spanish soldiers aimed bayonets

at them, according to Frederick William Beechey who visited a mission1. Natives were held

hostages at mass, as the Spanish hoped to replace Natives spiritual beliefs. In letters from

Junipero, Father of first mission in California, he writes, I have administered twenty baptisms,

and if I had known the language, I think I would have baptized them all, with the help of God2.

This shows the Spanish intent was to Christianize the natives and baptize them, expecting to
 Gonzalez 2

erase the memory of their own beliefs. After the Spanish arrived in California, the natives no

longer had the freedom to practice traditions and ceremonies of their ancestors.

The Spanish oppressors believed themselves superior to the natives and they required

natives to learn their dialectal. In another letter from Junipero Serra, he writes, The whole idea

is that by the time they return they will both speak Spanish like natives, when speaking of two

native boys that were sent to the Spanish boat3. Spaniards did this in hopes that the natives would

be quicker picking the language, being around only Spanish speakers. The Spanish also

disregarded native languages as if they had never existed. Father Antonio de la Ascension wrote

in his diary that the natives had names for items in the own language but they would alter the

way they referred to those items 4. Despite having an established dialect, the Spaniards imposed

their language and changed the way the natives communicated. The Spanish lacked to credit the

native language as one that had any value, instead they disregarded it and enforced their way of

communication.

Once the natives were under the control of the missions, they were viewed as property

and the Spanish forced them to work as slaves on the missions. Serra wrote how the natives

worked as, farm hands, herdsmen, cowboys, shepherds, milkers, diggers, gardeners, carpenters,

famers, irrigators, reapers, blacksmiths and they everything else that comes along for their

physical and spiritual welfare 5. They essentially worked every aspect of the mission, and the

Spaniards justified this as being a benefit to the native people. The consequences for

disobedience for natives ranged from whippings, brandings, or even executions 6. The natives

were treated inhumanely and were forced to work, reaping no benefit of their labor. Work life

was altered dramatically for the natives once the Spanish encountered the people of California.
 Gonzalez 3

Native Americans in California had created societies that were flourishing, all which

would change when they would encounter the Spaniards. The Spaniards colonization method

was through use of missions, stripping the natives of their language and religion. They were held

captive by soldiers at the presidios, and were used as laborers, which was an extreme change of

daily routine for the natives. The changes that were applied to the natives were not by choice and

was detrimental to the existence of the societies that native tribes had developed.
 Gonzalez 4

Works Cited
1
. 1826, Enlgish visitor Frederick William Beechey described Indians attending church

(mass) with the soldiers (class handout).

2
. Letters of Father Junipero Serra about the Monterey Mission, June 21, 1771. (class

handout).
3
. Letters of Father Junipero Serra about the Monterey Mission, June 21, 1771. (class

handout).
4
. Letters of Father Junipero Serra about the Monterey Mission, August 8, 1772. (class

handout).
5
. Monterey California, July 1, 1784. Father Junipero Serra and Father Mathias Antonio

Noriega, Report on the Missions. (class handout)

6
. http://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/history/calif.html