What Were The Women’S Duties On Santa Cruz?

Europeans, particularly the Spanish, began exploring North America’s coastline in the 1530s. However, in the late 18th century, competition with Native American people led to the establishment of the Santa Cruz Mission Adobe, one of the few standing neophyte residences left from the Mission period in California. The California Coast was inhabited by speakers of 16 distinct languages and numerous small, indigenous communities.

The major tension in California during the late 18th and early 19th centuries was between missionaries and soldiers, with one source of tension being the raping of indigenous women by the military. The changes in male and female procurement roles in the dietary regimen were also interesting. Men tended livestock and worked in the fields, while women stayed at the Mission and worked on domestic chores such as weaving cloth.

Women at Santa Cruz were responsible for tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, tending the garden, caring for the sick and elderly, farmed, built schools, and raised children. They also worked on domestic chores such as weaving cloth and making clothes, boiling down fat to make soap, and more. Many skilled tasks were taught by artisans from Mexico or other countries.

Native women were and still are accomplished basket makers, and while males tended livestock and worked in the fields, women were still involved in the collection of shellfish and some vegetal foods. The Santa Cruz Women’s Prison Project (SCWPP) is a new collection of materials related to Bay Area women’s prison organizing during the 1970s.


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What were the jobs at Mission Santa Cruz?

All Indians, except for four overseeing others, work in their respective trades, including carpenters, blacksmiths, tanners, shoemakers, gardeners, teamsters, weavers, and stone masons. These were common male occupations, often taught by artisans from Mexico or Baja California missions. Women’s jobs at Mission Santa Cruz included sewing, washing, culling wheat, sifting flour, and picking weeds.

What destroyed the Santa Cruz Mission?

In 1840 and 1857, seismic activity resulted in the destruction of Mission Santa Cruz’s bell tower and front wall, leading to the collapse of the structure and the dissolution of the congregation. Notwithstanding the disbandment and the dispersal of the clergy, its influence on the surrounding community persisted.

What is special about Santa Cruz?
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What is special about Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz, the largest city in Northern California, is known for its beaches, surf culture, and historic landmarks. Founded by the Spanish in 1791, it was later incorporated as a town in 1866 and a charter city in 1876. The city’s status as a seaside resort community was solidified by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in 1904, and the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1965 made it a college town.

The Santa Cruz region has a rich history of indigenous people, with the Awaswas nation of Ohlone people living in the area for at least 12, 000 years. The Awaswas tribe, consisting of around 1, 000 people, had a language that is now extinct. The only remnants of their spoken language are three local place names: Aptos, Soquel, and Zayante, and the name of a native shellfish – abalone.

The Indigenous people in Santa Cruz belonged to the Uypi tribe of the Awaswas-speaking dialectical group, who called the area Aulinta during colonization. The city’s rich history and cultural heritage make it a popular tourist destination.

Who did most of the work at the missions?

Neophytes, native converts, were baptized and expected to work in fields, cooking, and learning Spanish. Farming was a crucial job, with staple crops like wheat, barley, and maize, as well as European fruits. Other jobs included carpentry, building, weaving, and leather-working. Religious leaders, known as padres, overseen the mission and were assigned six soldiers to protect them and the mission properties.

What did they eat in the Santa Cruz Mission?
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What did they eat in the Santa Cruz Mission?

The Indians at the missions consumed a type of gruel or mush called atolé, made from roasted wheat, barley, or corn. It was cooked in iron kettles and served for breakfast and supper. Nuts and berries were sometimes added to the evening meal. At noon, meat and beans were added to the mush to make pozóle, the largest meal of the day. On fiesta days, whole beef or chickens were roasted and special feasts were prepared.

Tortillas, flat thin cakes popular in New Spain (Mexico), became a standard part of the mission meal, made from corn flour and water. These flat balls were baked on a hot iron plate and served at every meal.

What did they do at the missions?
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What did they do at the missions?

The Spanish government established missions in California to spread Roman Catholicism to Indigenous groups living on the land. These missions forced Indigenous people to change their way of life, sometimes even enslaving them. They were forced to build missions and grow crops, and were forced to convert to Roman Catholicism. The first mission, San Diego de Alcalá, was established in 1769 by Gaspar de Portolá and Junípero Serra. The Indigenous people were forced to grow crops, raise livestock, and build structures, often being tricked into being baptized.

Some missions allowed Native people to move freely, while others required permission to leave. Thousands died from European diseases brought by the Spanish, and many Indigenous people resisted and revolted against Spanish authority. The Spanish government’s efforts to protect California were a response to European powers moving into Spanish territory.

What were the chores on the mission?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What were the chores on the mission?

At the mission, each person had a specific task to complete, including working in orchards, vegetable gardens, and livestock care. They also engaged in various crafts like adobe bricks, tiles, blacksmithing, carpentry, wine, and tanned cowhides. Both men and women also worked in spinning, weaving, soap, and candles. Quotas were set for each person’s work. Native Californians were proud of their skills but had to work hard.

At meal times, each family group received their family’s ration of food, which differed from their traditional diet. Mission workers were required to dress differently from their Indian counterparts, making their own clothing and receiving one new shirt or skirt every seven months.

Why is Santa Cruz so famous?

Santa Cruz, a city renowned for its picturesque beaches, dynamic downtown area, and rich cultural heritage, has experienced a series of significant events throughout its history, including catastrophic earthquakes and fires, as well as periods of economic expansion and advancement.

What hardships did Mission Santa Cruz face?

In 1818, pirate Hippolyte de Bouchard approached the mission, leading to its relocation to Mission Soledad. However, the mission’s vacancy led to looting by Branciforte residents. Secularization in 1834 led to resource depletion and disrepair of the mission buildings. An 1845 earthquake toppled the bell tower, while the 1857 earthquake collapsed the buildings. The chapel, completed in 1931, is one-third the size of the original, with a replica bell tower. The mission museum features vestments from significant periods in California history and original paintings, statues, and a challis used by Father Serra.

What were the problems with Mission Santa Cruz?
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What were the problems with Mission Santa Cruz?

The Santa Cruz Mission in northern Alta California, established in 1791, led to a significant decline in the Indian community due to high mortality and low birth rates. Missionaries baptized 2, 321 Indians between 1791 and 1846, but only 557 were natal baptisms, an average of 10 births per year. This led to the recruitment of non-Christian Indians from the coastal mountains north and east of modern-day Watsonville and the Central Valley to maintain a large labor force.

This pattern was not unique to Santa Cruz but also occurred in other mission groupings in northwestern New Spain. To understand the dynamics of Indian depopulation at Santa Cruz Mission, demographic patterns can be examined, including high mortality and its manifestations. Estimating a contact population size for the Santa Cruz area and discussing gentile recruitment as related to the total mission population can provide further insight into the process of demographic change.

What was the daily life in Santa Cruz?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What was the daily life in Santa Cruz?

In Santa Cruz, a variety of indigenous peoples, including the Yakuts, Neophyte, Costanoan, and Agwaswas, inhabited the region and engaged in a range of activities, including cooking, farming, and construction. The women were responsible for cooking, the men for farming, the children for attending school, and all members of the community for raising crops, including bushels of grain and a variety of produce.


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What Were The Women'S Duties On Santa Cruz?
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Rae Fairbanks Mosher

I’m a mother, teacher, and writer who has found immense joy in the journey of motherhood. Through my blog, I share my experiences, lessons, and reflections on balancing life as a parent and a professional. My passion for teaching extends beyond the classroom as I write about the challenges and blessings of raising children. Join me as I explore the beautiful chaos of motherhood and share insights that inspire and uplift.

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17 comments

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  • After perusal the clip, I really did try to get in her head. What processes led to her writing this little proposal, waking up and getting ready for city council, and then actually proposing that we grow food and make machines? What could have caused it? Did she see a lack of food and machinery? I gave up on understanding, and I think unfortunately we’ll never fully appreciate her genius.

  • When I was on the board of education as a student representative there was this guy that would come in and tell us that we should not spend any money on anything ever. The fact that we were allowed to impose a tax on property seemed to offend him… He basically said that the school should no longer exist and I if I remember right that parents should be regulated (very lightly I imagine) in homeschooling for everyone. There was a 14% turnout that year, a record for 20yrs.

  • I heard this on the radio this morning and laughed my a** off…. I thought it was just one thing, but it just kept snowballing… Silkworms… East Coast slaves… Vegetable trees… Frozen veggies good forever… and 2:14-2:34 is probably my favorite part to end the whole thing so perfectly. This is just so bizarre.

  • she gave few example of raw material, e.g. metal, cottons, and those material can turn into machines, car, etc she said,” you only need to pay for farmer (for seed) and land, but land is free since you own a house or already paid for the rent already, free = you dont have to pay for land anymore she did say China,which is old east, then she said New west (US., Europes), nothing special when she said west coast, and highlight California because this happened in Santa cruz according to title

  • what she is trying to say is: help the farmers to grow more food for our comunities, local farmers, and stop bring oranges from china or florida, when california has great soil for farm land, also stop selling the land at such high prices that no one is able to start a family and own a home start a business because its imposible with all the high interest rates on morgages, in other words we are being riped off, and we are being robbed from our education

  • LOL@ the way the guy in light blue is looking at her. I can read his thoughts. “Is this Chick serious? OMG she’s still talking.. Someone needs to make her drink some organic free land pesticides. Would anyone care if I stabbed her…nvm, I’ll just imagine doing it in my head. Ugh still talking… Thank god for telephone games.”

  • 5 stars? I personally think this woman is smarter than those who think she is idiot here is what she points out 1) organic food is good also 2) lot of people’s wage just enough for rents and living, not enough to save and start new businesss 3) more businese will form bigger community, bigger city 4) East coast (the only mistake in her speech, she meant China which = East Hemisphere, most American call china cheap labor=slave, what’s wrong here?) 5) grow food in your back yard

  • And after reading through 8 pages of comments, I don’t know how anyone can claim that she is a representation of entire entire group (such as women, Californians, or either political party). Her views seem liberal, but she clearly supports Bush, and I don’t know many liberals who would publicly (or even privately) support Bush in 2008. Regardless of her affiliations, I think it’s clear that she was nervous (or medicated) and just started saying a bunch of non-sense. I feel bad for her.

  • I can tell by the type of language you use, you are quite intelligent. All of my college educated buddies talk just like you. It’s amazing how bold people are behind a keyboard. Alas, I’d expect no less from a 10 or 11 year old…or perhaps a very angry adult who has no business owning a computer…which one are you?

  • ‘We should leverage the land crops for sustainable food growth. And build up machinery that although will lead to rising unemployment will also effectively improve quality of life’. I hope I’ve made it clear that at the very least, bullshit language as above as I refer to it is worse than somebody speaking like her. Despite it being incredibly mindless it is a highly common way of talking… like a little plague of pretentiousness.

  • i mean when he speaks in coherent sentences. when he is actually aware of what is going on, and when posed with a question he can answer without looking bewildered. when he works out ways to improve the state of the country instead of planning yet another vacation. bush set the bar so low, and obama leaps above it. he stays classy imo. and everyone should own an ipod.

  • When I first saw this, I was too busy switching between making fun of her and face palming to notice, but now, I’m starting to have an epiphany. Maybe we shouldn’t be making fun of her. She might be genuinely handicapped (with or without a diagnosis). At some point, you can’t make fun of a person and she might be across that line. Well, you can make fun of the handicapped, but, it’d make you look like an ass. Maybe a certified psychologist should look into it.

  • Well… It wasn’t really an “opinion”. She had really nothing prepared and there was no point at what she was saying except “we could grow and build stuff”, which is a pretty vague plan if you ask me. I think that whenever you expose your ideas to the public, like that, you somehow deserve to get some laughs if you’re not prepared enough or if you shouldn’t be doing this so you can learn to get your stuff together or to stop doing it. Plus, it’s just a article for the lolzies. Nothing wrong there.

  • Well even if you don’t agree with there positions on things, they actually state positions and state why. That is responsible. Calling someone “unamerican” or using silly WW2 era words like “Communist” “facist” is not resposible its ludicrous. By British standards the TYT is probably not responsible but its much better than the WW2 rhetoric networks.

  • mrbrisco2001 As far as this women liking bush & saying he was good, yes she may be in the minority however your suggestion that not one single person in Santa Cruz voted for bush is you, yourself playing the same old party line crap I would bet she voted for bush even if she was the Only one. After perusal this, I KNOW bush got at list one vote in Santa Cruz but you can look it up yourself.

  • I think she was trying to figure out how the city of Santa Cruz can overcome a budget deficit like every other city and town in California. I think what they should do is bottle their water and sell it for twenty dollars a bottle; with a good marketing firm behind them it would be more popular than Dasani; which is Coke’s brand made from the tap of New York City. The high cost would lead people to believe it was better than anything in the world and so everyone will buy it. lol

  • “I personally believe that US Californians everywhere like, such as, the West coast because food is organic and good also and the businesses are, like, experts and have enough stuff, and some people, such as, the East coast have slaves and the Bush Administration is, which is really good and I believe this is where we live and, people! The machine can make our cars and our food is free, and stuff, so we should sell it. To the Iraq.”

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