Editing Mission San Francisco de Asís (section)

=== 1800 to 1848 ===
The early 19th century saw the greatest period of activity at Mission San Francisco:

<blockquote>At its peak in 1810–1820, the average Indian population at Pueblo Dolores was about 1,100 people.  In 1810 the Mission owned 11,000 sheep, 11,000 cows, and thousands of horses, goats, pigs, and mules. Its ranching and farming operations extended as far south as [[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]] and east to [[Alameda, Calif|Alameda]]. Horses were corralled on [[Potrero Hill]], and the milking sheds for the cows were located along Dolores Creek at what is today [[Mission High School (San Francisco)|Mission High School]]. Twenty looms were kept in operation to process wool into cloth. The circumference of the Mission's holdings was said to have been about 125 miles.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Cleary |first=Guire |date=January 31, 2003 |title=Mission Dolores links San Francisco with its 18th century roots |url=http://catholic-sf.org/013103.html |access-date=November 20, 2023 |website=Catholic San Francisco}}</ref></blockquote>

In 1817, the Franciscans established the [[Mission San Rafael Arcángel]] in [[San Rafael, California]] as an [[Asistencias|a''sistencia'']] to act as a hospital for the Mission San Francisco de Asís. San Rafael became an independent mission in 1822.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ruscin |first=Terry |title=Mission Memoirs |publisher=Sunbelt Publications |year=1999 |isbn=0-932653-30-8 |location=San Diego, California}}</ref>

With the end of the [[Mexican War of Independence]] in 1821, the newly independent Mexico took control of [[Alta California]].  Relations were strained between the new Mexican Government and the Franciscan overseers of the California missions. Supplies were scarce and over 5,000 Native Americans had died from disease and other causes at the Mission San Francisco.  The Mexican Government decided to free the Native Americans who were under mission guardianship and give them mission lands.

New regulations under the [[Mexican secularization act of 1833|Mexican Secularization Act of 1833]] forced the missions in 1834 to start selling their vast commercial properties.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dúran |first=Narcisco |title=Secularization of the Missions |url=http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=540 |date=2021 |access-date=26 October 2017 |website=Digitalhistory.uh.edu}}</ref> In practical terms, this meant that each mission could only own its church, its priests residence and small plots of land surrounding the church for gardens.  The Mission San Francisco sold most of its property in 1836.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yenne |first=Bill |title=The Missions of California |publisher=Thunder Bay Press |year=2004 |isbn=1-59223-319-8 |location=San Diego, California |pages=18–19}}</ref>  By 1842, only eight Native Americans were still residing there.<ref name=":0" />