Editing Spanish missions in California (section)

=== Mission sites, selection and layout ===
{{Main|Architecture of the California missions}}

[[File: San Luis Rey de Francia circa 1910 William Amos Haines.jpg|thumb|[[Mission San Luis Rey de Francia]], ''circa'' 1910. This mission is architecturally distinctive because of the strong [[Islamic architecture|Moorish]] lines exhibited.]] [[File: Franciscan missionaries in California.jpg|thumb|'' The Missionaries as They Came and Went.'' Franciscans of the California missions donned gray [[Religious habit|habits]], in contrast to the brown that is typically worn today.<ref>Kelsey, p. 18</ref>]]

In addition to the ''presidio'' (royal fort) and ''pueblo'' (town), the ''misión'' was one of the three major agencies employed by the Spanish sovereign to extend its borders and consolidate its [[Colonialism|colonial]] territories. ''Asistencias'' ("satellite" or "sub" missions, sometimes referred to as "contributing chapels") were small-scale missions that regularly conducted [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] on days of obligation but lacked a resident priest;<ref>Harley</ref> as with the missions, these settlements were typically established in areas with high concentrations of potential native converts.<ref>Ruscin, p. 61</ref> The Spanish Californians had never strayed from the coast when establishing their settlements; Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad was located farthest inland, being only some thirty miles (48 kilometers) from the shore.<ref>Chapman, p. 418: Chapman does not consider the sub-missions (''asistencias'') that make up the inland chain in this regard.</ref> Each [[frontier]] station was forced to be self-supporting, as existing means of supply were inadequate to maintain a colony of any size. California was months away from the nearest base in colonized Mexico, and the cargo ships of the day were too small to carry more than a few months' [[ration]]s in their holds. To sustain a mission, the ''padres'' required converted [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], called ''neophytes'', to cultivate [[agriculture|crops]] and tend [[livestock]] in the volume needed to support a fair-sized establishment. The scarcity of imported materials, together with a lack of skilled laborers, compelled the missionaries to employ simple [[building material]]s and methods in the construction of mission structures.

[[File:Vancouver-Carlos-mission.jpg|thumb|left|A drawing of [[Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo]] prepared by [[George Vancouver|Captain George Vancouver]] depicts the grounds as they appeared in November 1792. From ''A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean and Round the World.'']]

Although the missions were considered temporary ventures by the Spanish [[hierarchy]], the development of an individual settlement was not simply a matter of "priestly whim."  The founding of a mission followed longstanding rules and procedures; the paperwork involved required months, sometimes years of correspondence, and demanded the attention of virtually every level of the bureaucracy. Once empowered to erect a mission in a given area, the men assigned to it chose a specific site that featured a good water supply, plenty of wood for fires and building materials, and ample fields for grazing [[herds]] and raising [[agriculture|crops]]. The padres blessed the site, and with the aid of their [[military]] escort fashioned temporary shelters out of tree limbs or driven stakes, roofed with [[thatch]] or [[Phragmites|reeds]] (''cañas''). It was these simple huts that ultimately gave way to the stone and adobe buildings that exist to the present.

The first priority when beginning a settlement was the location and construction of the [[Church (building)|church]] (''iglesia''). The majority of mission sanctuaries were oriented on a roughly east–west axis to take the best advantage of the sun's position for interior [[illumination (lighting)|illumination]]; the exact alignment depended on the geographic features of the particular site. Once the spot for the church had been selected, its position was marked and the remainder of the mission complex was laid out. The [[workshop]]s, [[kitchen]]s, living quarters, storerooms, and other ancillary chambers were usually grouped in the form of a [[quadrangle (architecture)|quadrangle]], inside which religious celebrations and other festive events often took place. The ''cuadrángulo'' was rarely a perfect square because the missionaries had no [[surveying]] instruments at their disposal and simply measured off all dimensions by foot. Some fanciful accounts regarding the construction of the missions claimed that tunnels were incorporated in the design, to be used as a means of emergency egress in the event of attack; however, no historical evidence (written or physical) has ever been uncovered to support these assertions.<ref>Engelhardt 1920, pp. 350–351</ref><ref group=notes>Engelhardt: One such hypothesis was put forth by author by Prent Duel in his 1919 work ''Mission Architecture as Exemplified in San Xavier Del Bac'': "Most missions of early date possessed secret passages as a means of escape in case they were besieged. It is difficult to locate any of them now as they are well concealed."</ref>