What are the parts of a Spanish mission?

An imposing presence in native communities, the typical principal façade of a mission church has three major components: the entry doorway, the frontispiece that surrounded it, and the bell towers (campanarios) that extend vertically above the rest of the building.

What was the Spanish mission system?

The Spanish mission was a frontier institution that sought to incorporate indigenous people into the Spanish colonial empire, its Catholic religion, and certain aspects of its Hispanic culture through the formal establishment or recognition of sedentary Indian communities entrusted to the tutelage of missionaries under …

How was the mission system organized?

They sent four expeditions and founded the first missions. How was the Spanish mission system in Alta California Organized? at the missions, priest worked to create loyal Spanish subjects. They moved California Indians into the missions, taught them to be Christians, and showed them European ways.

What structures did the mission have beside a church?

Each church had a main section (the nave), a baptistry near the front entrance, a sanctuary (where the altar was located), and a sacristy at the back of the church where materials used to celebrate Mass were stored and where the priests vested.

What made life on a Spanish mission difficult?

Background: When the Native Americans were taken to live in the missions, the difference in language made it difficult for communication between them and the Spanish-speaking priests. They were expected to learn the language in order to carry out daily rituals and to learn the Roman Catholic religion.

Why are Spanish missions important?

The Spanish missions, like forts and towns, were frontier institutions that pioneered European colonial claims and sovereignty in North America. Over time, the missions made their mark on American Indian tribes, and Indian spiritual customs, in part, melded with Christianity.

Why did Spanish missions fail?

2. The Plains tribes resented the missionaries and their intrusion on their hunting grounds. 3. The missions were isolated and often lacked the supplies and people to survive.

What work is done in a mission?

Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as educational or hospital work. Sometimes individuals are sent and are called missionaries.