Village & Garden

Navigation for La Purísima Concepción:

• Mission Home
• History
• 1st Mission
• Map
• Corral Area
• Cemetery
• Church
• Workshop
• Courtyard
• Workshop Interior
• Monastery
• Monastery Interior
• Chapel
• Kitchen
• Blacksmith
• Village & Garden

During Mission Life Days the docents occupy the village and demonstrate various Indian crafts. Seen here is a display of chipped arrowheads and, in the center of the picture, a stone with a hole in it used with a rotating stick to build up enough friction to start a fire. An Indian game is also shown. The seeds are thrown much like dice with bets won or lost depending on the results.

Picture taken 1:30pm 21 Jul 2001

Picture taken 1:30pm 21 Jul 2001

Garden

In the garden, close to the Indian village you'll find the Indian lavanderia. This would be where the Indians bathed and washed clothes. Water flowed from here to the garden.

Picture taken 1:40pm 21 Jul 2001

Next to the Indian lavanderia is the Mission cross. In front of the cross is a sundial. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the sun about daylight savings time as it shows about 12:30pm where the picture was taken at 1:40pm. Sundials were often used at missions to tell time and the Indians readily accepted them as they had developed a system of using shadows for timekeeping.

Directly across from the center of the monastery building is the main Mission fountain.

Picture taken 1:40pm 21 Jul 2001

Water from the fountain flowed from the fountain down to the Mission lavanderia. This was used by Mission residents other than the Indians for washing. Water from this flowed into a cistern where it was stored and then released into the aqueduct for use in the fields. The aqueduct seen on the first tour page which described the corral is one that comes from this cistern.

Unless you wish to see the national and state landmark signs (to be added later), that concludes the tour of Mission La Purísima Concepción. Please visit the other missions.

For a Flash video of this Mission and other resources see The California Mission Resource Center site.