Filed under: California, history, Shopping, top-feature, Tours
A Walk Through History at the Old Santa Barbara Mission
Santa Barbara, California (travel guide) is a city of white-washed Spanish style buildings with red tile roofs tucked between the mountains and sea. The palm-lined streets and long stretch of white sandy beach give it an exotic allure. There were no trees here when the Spanish came; no palms lining the beaches and boulevards, no wooded hillsides. It was simply a barren swath of coastline occupied by the Chumash Indian people who were hunters and gatherers oriented to the sea.
The Old Mission Santa Barbara
On this sunny afternoon I have a special destination in mind: a visit to the Old Mission Santa Barbara to discover the city’s past. I hop onto a tourist trolley down by the Presidio (travel guide). This is an excellent way to see the various places of interest in Santa Barbara because you can hop on and off wherever you wish to explore. On the way through the picturesque streets, the driver, a handsome copper-skinned young man, his long hair tied back with a leather thong, tells us that he’s a descendant of the Chumash Indians who occupied this land long before the arrival of the Spaniards.
The tour bus passes by various historical buildings in the Old Town where you can hop off the trolley to explore if you wish. I made one stop in the Old Town to check out souvenirs, then caught the next bus heading up a winding road to the mission.
A majestic building crowns the hillside, glowing like an opal in the bright California sun — it is the Santa Barbara Mission, the tenth mission founded by Franscisan Padre Junipero Serra. Established in 1786, the Mission’s original purpose was the Christianizing of the Chumash. Today it is used by the Parish of Santa Barbara and stands as a monument to the cultural diversity of California’s heritage.
The mission is an impressive building with twin bell towers combining Moorish, Mexican, Chumash Indian and Spanish design. In the mosaic-paved entryway a Moorish fountain dating back two hundred years burbles with a spray of water, with a large basin in front that served as the lavandaria for the Chumash women to wash clothes. The crude lions head at the front of the lavandaria was carved by a Chumash artisan. Nearby is a botanical garden dedicated to native plants used by the Chumash people.
In the Mission garden
I set off on a self-guided tour.
Inside, the small, dark rooms contain a collection of colonial art imported from Mexico and South America. Some of the displays demonstrate the life of the Franciscan monks and the pioneers who lived there alongside the Chumash Indians.
Over time the original mission buildings were damaged or destroyed by earthquakes, but the have been rebuilt. The church represents an amazing engineering achievement combining the efforts of the Chumash, Spanish and Mexican artisans. I tour the rooms where the missionaries slept, the kitchen where a meager menu is shown: little more than beans and rice. It was a spartan way of life.
In the chapel room are displays of candle making, pottery, weaving and ironwork. Galleons from Manila and China clippers brought Asian culture to the area and some of this reflects in the artifacts and embroidered silk vestments displayed in the chapel museum. The church itself is decorated with Mexican art, some 200 years old.
Passing under a low doorway decorated with skulls, I enter the mission cemetery where Santa Barbara‘s early settlers are buried along with Chumash Indians. The Spanish soldiers who came here were of varied ethnic origins including Mexican Indians, Sephardic Jews and Africans. You’ll find the heritage of Santa Barbara reflected in the names and backgrounds of those buried here.
I wander through the tranquil Mission garden and pause to imagine what life for the Chumash people was like back then. This garden was once a work area where many of them learned trades. Their workshops and living quarters were located in the surrounding quadrangle of buildings.
After a tour through the Mission, catch the trolley back down to the beach and a visit to Stearns Wharf, then go for a stroll along the beach. Take a look at the artist exhibits set up along the area — perhaps you’ll find a piece to take home with you. To finish a perfect California day, have dinner at one of the excellent Mexican restaurants along the Presidio.
To visit the Mission:
- The Old Santa Barbara Mission, 2201 Laguna Street, Santa Barbara, California (travel guide). Mass celebrated daily 9 am – 5 pm; Sunday 7:30 am, 9 am, 10 am, and noon (free) . Admission for self-guided tours is $5 adults. $4 seniors, $1 age 6 – 15, under 6 free. Tour hours: daily 9 am to 4.30 pm. Docent guided tours for school children and groups arranged by appointment.
- Santa Barbara Trolley Tours 22 State Street (travel guide). A fully narrated 90 minute tour. Tickets $19 adult pass, 1 child free per adult, additional child $8.00. Passes are valid all day and re-boarding is free. Tickets can be purchased online.
Trolley Stops to Explore:
- Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens, 500 Ninos Drive (travel guide). 30 acres, 500 animals. Average zoo visit will last two and a half hours. Open 10 am to 5 pm every day. Adults $12; Children 2 – 12 and Seniors 60+ $10.
- Museum of Natural History (travel guide), 2559 Puesta del Sol, Mission Canyon Campus. A cluster of Spanish Revival buildings on 11 acres of woodland along Mission Creek.
- Ty Warner Sea Center (travel guide) 211 Stearns Wharf. Live displays of sea life. Open daily 10 am - 5 pm. Admission: Adults $10; Teens 13 – 17 and Seniors 65+ $7.00; Children 3 – 12 $6.
- Santa Barbara Courthouse (travel guide) A Spanish/Moorish style “palace” built in 1929 surrounded by lawns and tropical gardens.
- Santa Barbara “Old Town” (map) Located on State Street, where you’ll find a mixture of ethnic restaurants and specialty shops.
- Beaches and Wine Country: Get everything you’ll need to know from the Santa Barbara visitor’s information.
- Santa Barbara Visitor’s Center 110 Harbor Way, 4th Floor (map).
Photo credits: W. Ruth Kozak
