Introduction

What do you know about the San José de Guadalupe mission? Did you know that the neophytes had 90 days of vacation because of holidays and religious holidays? In this book, you will learn about the founder that founded this mission, the Indians that lived around the mission, the daily life of the neophytes and lastly, fun facts about the San José de Guadalupe mission.

Fermín de Francisco Lasuén de Sarasqueta

San José de Guadalupe was founded and built in 1797 by a man named Fray Fermín Francisco Lasuén. Fray Fermín Francisco Lasuén was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, on June 7th, 1736.  Fray Fermín Francisco Lasuén actually founded 9 out of the 21 missions. He founded Santa Barbara in 1786, La Purísima Concepción in 1787, Santa Cruz in 1791, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad in 1791, San Juan Bautista in 1797, San Miguel Arcangel in 1797, San Fernando Rey de Espana in 1797, and last but not least,  San José de Guadalupe in 1797. Fray Fermín Francisco Lasuén was very successful.

Muwekma

The Muwekma Ohlone Indians lived around the San José de Guadalupe mission. Like most tribes, the Muwekma Indians hunted, fished and gathered their food. The women collected wild foods and the men hunted rabbit, deer, antelope, raccoons and whatever animals they could find in the wild. Men used nets, traps, spears and sling shots when hunting for smaller animals. When hunting for larger animals, such as deer, antelope or bear, they used a bow and arrow. The bows were made of yew ( A coniferous tree that has red berry like fruits, and most parts of which are highly poisonous. ) and the bowstrings were made of sinew or vegetable fiber.

Muwekma

After killing an animal, Ohlone hunters prayed for the animal's spirit. The Ohlone believed that praying for the animal would help it be reborn. They also caught water animals like fish, shellfish, clams and oysters. The women wove baskets, which were made of iris, cattail, bulrushes and willow. These were used to trap fish, sifting seeds, and boiling water. One important thing they ate was acorns. A whole family would pick acorns, which would be boiled to be used to a thick porridge. When harvest time was near, the entire village would move to the oak forests and the men would shake the trees so the acorns would fall to the ground.