Latest / California Frontier / 056: Secrets of Mission San Luis Rey Part 2 with Art Historian Helena Hazleton

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056: Secrets of Mission San Luis Rey Part 2 with Art Historian Helena Hazleton · California Frontier

• 0:00
  Helena Hazleton (2): the two pools at the bottom of the steps have two faucets that are gargoyles, the water spouts from the mouth of the gargoyles, and most people think it bears resemblance to Aztec and Maya sculpture.
• 0:15
  Helena Hazleton (2): They're made out of volcanic stone, so we are not sure if they're local, Most likely they were made by someone in the area.
• 0:24
  Helena Hazleton (2): But you can imagine that there was a master craftsman that was teaching the native Luiseño how to carve and showing them the influence of particularly Aztec.
• 0:35
  Helena Hazleton (2): Sculpture
• 0:40
  Welcome to California Frontier, the show about the often overlooked and unexpected early history of the place we call California.
• 0:49
  I'm your host, Damian Basich.
• 0:58
  Damian Bacich: Can we take a step back for a second just to, just to illuminate a little of the history?
• 1:02
  Damian Bacich: The Mormon Battalion, what was the Mormon Battalion?
• 1:06
  Helena Hazleton (2): So the Mormon Battalion is the only, religious, a branch of the military of the US military that has ever existed.
• 1:17
  Helena Hazleton (2): Basically, they were hired by the American army to serve as a, basically the guides during the Mexican American war to trace a land route between.
• 1:30
  Helena Hazleton (2): East and West.
• 1:32
  Helena Hazleton (2): So their idea was to cross the desert, and to bring, to establish like the foundation for the rest of the American army to come and occupy
• 1:41
  Damian Bacich: Okay.
• 1:43
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yes.
• 1:45
  Damian Bacich: there's the Mormon Battalion Museum, in fact, in Old Town, San Diego, if I remember correctly, but it's been a long time since I've been there.
• 1:54
  Damian Bacich: Okay.
• 1:55
  Damian Bacich: So interesting.
• 1:56
  Damian Bacich: And then Charbonneau, the son of Sacagawea.
• 1:59
  Damian Bacich: Can you tell us a little bit about him?
• 2:02
  Helena Hazleton (2): So the Mormon battalion hires Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the son of Sacagawea, as their guide.
• 2:10
  Helena Hazleton (2): Charbonneau was raised by, I believe it was Clark, from the Lewis and Clark expedition.
• 2:17
  Damian Bacich: was their, was their guide.
• 2:19
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yeah, and, and he was an explorer.
• 2:23
  Helena Hazleton (2): He was hired to come with them, and when they ended here at Mission San Luis Rey he was appointed as the first mayor of San Luis Rey because he was half Mexican.
• 2:35
  Helena Hazleton (2): Native.
• 2:37
  Helena Hazleton (2): From a very different tribe, but he was half native.
• 2:39
  Helena Hazleton (2): His, his father was French and his mom was Sacagawea.
• 2:43
  Helena Hazleton (2): And he is mayor here at the newly formed San Luis Rey Village for a few months, no longer than seven months, and he ends up quitting his position because he felt he had no power against the newly formed formed Office of Indian Affairs.
• 3:02
  Damian Bacich: This is prior to statehood, but when California is occupied by the U.
• 3:06
  Damian Bacich: S.
• 3:06
  Damian Bacich: Army.
• 3:08
  Damian Bacich: Okay.
• 3:09
  Damian Bacich: So then how do we get to the point where The mission is now restored beautiful, in one piece.
• 3:19
  Helena Hazleton (2): Oh, that's a long story.
• 3:22
  Helena Hazleton (2): That's a really long story.
• 3:23
  Helena Hazleton (2): I did a lot of research on that particular subject last year.
• 3:28
  Helena Hazleton (2): I was able to to visit several times the archives at Mission Santa Barbara.
• 3:33
  Helena Hazleton (2): Most people don't know this but Mission Santa Barbara and Mission San Luis Rey are connected.
• 3:40
  Helena Hazleton (2): because of who administrates the missions today.
• 3:43
  Helena Hazleton (2): Out of all the missions in California, only two today are Franciscan missions, Santa Barbara and San Luis Rey.
• 3:50
  Helena Hazleton (2): So I'm happy to say that I have access to their archives easily, easier than other researchers in the area.
• 3:58
  Helena Hazleton (2): And I, I went back and forth to study the history of the restoration and the community, and that is the Franciscan community.
• 4:06
  Helena Hazleton (2): that still occupies both missions.
• 4:08
  Helena Hazleton (2): So to make another long story short, after Abraham Lincoln grants the mission back to the Catholic church, that was per request of the Archbishop of Monterrey.
• 4:23
  Helena Hazleton (2): The Archbishop of Monterrey, who happened to want to establish his his cathedral in Old Mission, Santa Barbara.
• 4:36
  Helena Hazleton (2): Santa Barbara was the repository of both mission artifacts and the Franciscan friars during secularization.
• 4:45
  Helena Hazleton (2): So when the Franciscans were expelled and where they, where they lost territory and when there was nothing else to do for a mission, they ended up going to Mission Santa Barbara.
• 4:54
  Helena Hazleton (2): And it was the only mission that was always occupied by Franciscan presence.
• 5:00
  Helena Hazleton (2): With an archbishop, a secular archbishop, who wants to have their mission as the seat of his, his, cathedral.
• 5:08
  Helena Hazleton (2): He decides to grant Mission San Luis Rey to the, to the Franciscan friars.
• 5:12
  Helena Hazleton (2): That was sometime in the 1870s.
• 5:16
  Helena Hazleton (2): The Franciscan friars, there were like eight or nine friars left at Mission Santa Barbara.
• 5:22
  Helena Hazleton (2): They refused.
• 5:23
  Helena Hazleton (2): They take the matter to the Pope.
• 5:25
  Helena Hazleton (2): The Pope agrees with them and they tell them you don't have to abandon Mission Santa Barbara.
• 5:31
  Helena Hazleton (2): The Archbishop will go and establish his seat somewhere else.
• 5:34
  Helena Hazleton (2): But they still take possession of Mission San Luis Rey.
• 5:38
  Helena Hazleton (2): Between the 1860s and 1880s, Mission Santa Barbara becomes an apostolic college.
• 5:44
  Helena Hazleton (2): That is a school for missionary, people.
• 5:48
  Helena Hazleton (2): It is not very successful, but they managed to attract a few people, mostly Irish immigrants to become Franciscan missionaries under Mexican culture at Mission Santa Barbara.
• 6:02
  Helena Hazleton (2): One of these Irish priests was Father Jeremiah O'Keefe.
• 6:07
  Helena Hazleton (2): And in order to save what was left of Mission Santa Barbara in the 1880s, He does a trip to Mexico, he goes to different areas in Mexico trying to convince Franciscan friars in different areas in Mexico to come and help them, but the friars in Mexico were not in a very good position either because government, Mexican government was confiscating their own territories, eh, eh, as well in the 1850s and 60s.
• 6:33
  Helena Hazleton (2): So that was the story.
• 6:33
  Damian Bacich: president, right?
• 6:35
  Helena Hazleton (2): Exactly, yes.
• 6:36
  Helena Hazleton (2): That was not a very successful attempt.
• 6:39
  Helena Hazleton (2): So he ends up writing to new Franciscan communities, mostly German immigrants back east and it is them who, it is them who come and help the friars at Mission Santa Barbara.
• 6:52
  Helena Hazleton (2): And they become part of a new, new province.
• 6:55
  Helena Hazleton (2): It was the province of the sacred heart, but then.
• 6:58
  Helena Hazleton (2): After 20 years, Father O'Keefe is called by a group of Franciscan friars from Zacatecas, from the old college of Guadalupe in Zacatecas, and they say we want to see if we can establish a school over there.
• 7:13
  Helena Hazleton (2): They come, scout the the ruins of Mission San Luis Rey they ask for permission.
• 7:19
  Helena Hazleton (2): The heads of the order say, yes, you're able to rebuild the school here.
• 7:24
  Helena Hazleton (2): And a community of Mexican Franciscan friars come in 1892 to restore the mission under the leadership of Father Jeremiah O'Keefe, an Irish immigrant who became a Franciscan at Mission Santa Barbara, who restored it.
• 7:40
  Helena Hazleton (2): He's considered the, the, the second founder of the rebuilder of Mission San Luis
• 7:45
  Damian Bacich: And I think it's so interesting that you have a group of missionaries from the College of Zacatecas.
• 7:52
  Damian Bacich: Which is the same college that sent missionaries to northern Alta California in the 1830s, when a lot of the Spanish Fernandinos, right, from the College of San Fernando left.
• 8:06
  Damian Bacich: And so,
• 8:07
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yes.
• 8:08
  Damian Bacich: I mean, for example, at Santa Clara, where I used to, where I used to live and do a lot of work, We had Zacatech and Franciscans, etc.
• 8:17
  Damian Bacich: So it's, it's interesting to see that they were also, they also came back in the 1890s.
• 8:23
  Helena Hazleton (2): Mhm.
• 8:24
  Damian Bacich: so then tell me something now, since you're an art historian and you've done a lot of work on the mission and in and around the mission, What are some of the most interesting things you see and that when people come to visit you, you recommend that they, they take a look at?
• 8:47
  Helena Hazleton (2): Well.
• 8:48
  Helena Hazleton (2): If you only have 20 minutes, go to the historic church.
• 8:54
  Helena Hazleton (2): It is a beautiful church.
• 8:57
  Helena Hazleton (2): Craftsmanship is 99 percent Luiseño.
• 9:00
  Helena Hazleton (2): I always like to highlight that.
• 9:03
  Helena Hazleton (2): But somehow it's a very European looking church with some very naive motifs, like in the recreation of certain textures on the plaster of the walls.
• 9:16
  Helena Hazleton (2): trying to make up like tile or marble or velvet curtains.
• 9:21
  Helena Hazleton (2): It's very beautiful and very interesting to see those details, not just at this mission.
• 9:25
  Helena Hazleton (2): There are details like that all throughout mission churches in California.
• 9:31
  Helena Hazleton (2): We also have one of the most important Spanish colonial art collections of any mission.
• 9:37
  Helena Hazleton (2): And it is the result of different things.
• 9:43
  Helena Hazleton (2): First, Franciscan friars from Zacatecas, Mexico, from the College of Guadalupe, they bring artwork.
• 9:51
  Helena Hazleton (2): to the mission.
• 9:53
  Helena Hazleton (2): I don't know if most of your listeners know this, but the old College of Guadalupe in Zacatecas today is one of the most important Spanish colonial collections in Mexico.
• 10:05
  Helena Hazleton (2): They had a massive collection and when the friars came here in the 1890s, they brought some pieces with them.
• 10:12
  Helena Hazleton (2): So we have very Interesting pieces that are, they are in my opinion museum quality.
• 10:21
  Helena Hazleton (2): You can find them at museums, mostly in Mexico City, but also in Europe.
• 10:28
  Helena Hazleton (2): Madrid, the, the Museo de las Americas.
• 10:31
  Helena Hazleton (2): Beautiful pieces by Miguel Cabrera, by José de Alcibar.
• 10:36
  Helena Hazleton (2): which were masters in their craft.
• 10:38
  Helena Hazleton (2): We have a very beautiful painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe made by José de Alcibar with a certificate of, not certificate of authenticity, but the legend and the signature by José de Alcibar with the date that came with the the friars from Zacatecas in the 1890s.
• 10:55
  Damian Bacich: what date or time period are we looking at with that one, for example?
• 11:00
  Helena Hazleton (2): Most of the artwork that we have in the church is from the mid 1700s, 1760s, 1780.
• 11:09
  Helena Hazleton (2): And maybe a little bit later.
• 11:12
  Damian Bacich: than the church itself.
• 11:14
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yes, and it's something that we're still doing research on.
• 11:18
  Helena Hazleton (2): Right now, we have two statues of Mary and Joseph that, are located in the main altar of our church.
• 11:28
  Helena Hazleton (2): We took them for conservation earlier this year.
• 11:31
  Helena Hazleton (2): We work with Balboa Arts Conservation Center, nonprofit conservation studio in San Diego, who works with major museums in the area.
• 11:40
  Helena Hazleton (2): They know our collection pretty well.
• 11:42
  Helena Hazleton (2): And we were doing research on the statues.
• 11:44
  Helena Hazleton (2): And when they were doing the examinations, they noticed that the statues were repainted.
• 11:49
  Helena Hazleton (2): So we, I date statues based on.
• 11:54
  Helena Hazleton (2): how it looks now.
• 11:56
  Helena Hazleton (2): So Mary and Joseph look like statues from maybe early 1800s, but after doing some research they discovered that someone had repainted in the early 1800s over a gilding and details that might be earlier than that.
• 12:15
  Helena Hazleton (2): So we were able to figure out that statues that we assume were from the early 1800s might be actually a hundred years earlier than that.
• 12:24
  Helena Hazleton (2): And that is something that is ongoing
• 12:26
  Damian Bacich: Oh, wow.
• 12:27
  Helena Hazleton (2): So that's, that's the type of research that I'm trying to, to bring to the table at the mission.
• 12:33
  Damian Bacich: So with with artworks like these it must be Quite a task to try and keep them in good shape and keep them preserved.
• 12:44
  Helena Hazleton (2): Oh yeah, we have a lot of termite damage and that is something that we're, we're trying to fix.
• 12:50
  Helena Hazleton (2): It's not an easy task.
• 12:52
  Helena Hazleton (2): It's something that will definitely take a little bit, longer than what most people assume, but we are working on getting a, Mostly the, the collection that is on display now, we're working on getting it fixed and having it properly researched and giving it a not just a timeframe, but an origin story to a provenance.
• 13:17
  Helena Hazleton (2): That's how, how we say it.
• 13:19
  Helena Hazleton (2): So we have, for example, pieces that come from Zacatecas in Mexico, but our church also has a lot of the pieces that originally belong to Mission San Diego.
• 13:28
  Helena Hazleton (2): And the Presidio Church, yes.
• 13:31
  Damian Bacich: How did that come about?
• 13:34
  Helena Hazleton (2): Nobody knows exactly how it came about.
• 13:37
  Helena Hazleton (2): So we have it's about a dozen pieces.
• 13:41
  Helena Hazleton (2): There is a book James Nolan.
• 13:44
  Helena Hazleton (2): He tracked the story of the pieces and how they ended up here at the mission.
• 13:49
  Helena Hazleton (2): It the book is called The Discovery of the Lost Treasures of California's First Mission.
• 13:56
  Damian Bacich: All right.
• 13:56
  Damian Bacich: I'm gonna look that one up
• 13:57
  Helena Hazleton (2): It uses photographic evidence from the 1800s and early 1900s to track the story of the artwork we have in the historic church to the Presidio Church and the Mission Church at San Diego.
• 14:13
  Helena Hazleton (2): So apparently what happened during secularization Jose Maria, very important, prominent man in San Diego, ordered that all the valuables of the Presidio Church, had to be taken to his house.
• 14:32
  Helena Hazleton (2): And from his house.
• 14:34
  Helena Hazleton (2): He donated them to what is called now the Adobe Chapel or the, the Church of Immaculate Conception in Old Town in San Diego.
• 14:43
  Helena Hazleton (2): So that is when they were.
• 14:44
  Helena Hazleton (2): Recorded, photographed a a and we can associate or we can track the provenance to the artwork that we have at Mission Sand, right to the Adobe Chapel in San Diego.
• 14:59
  Helena Hazleton (2): Last photograph in San Diego, I believe it's from the 1930s.
• 15:04
  Helena Hazleton (2): And from there, nobody knew what happened to the artwork until James Noland did his research.
• 15:10
  Helena Hazleton (2): In his research, he interviews a friar who was, the administrator of Mission San Luis Rey for a few years.
• 15:19
  Helena Hazleton (2): Father Anthony Soto and Father Dominic Gallardo.
• 15:22
  Helena Hazleton (2): And he was the one, he's the one who tells them, oh yeah, they brought this over from San Diego.
• 15:26
  Helena Hazleton (2): When?
• 15:27
  Helena Hazleton (2): We don't know, maybe the 1930s, but nobody registered anything.
• 15:31
  Helena Hazleton (2): Nobody recorded anything.
• 15:32
  Helena Hazleton (2): He just happened to see a painting in our church and see a photo of it from Old Town in the 1880s.
• 15:40
  Damian Bacich: So then these things that are from San Diego, from Mission San Diego, for example, they remain and they will remain in San Luis Rey.
• 15:51
  Damian Bacich: It's not like that there's going to be some sort of repatriation.
• 15:55
  Helena Hazleton (2): They are part of our mission collection.
• 15:57
  Helena Hazleton (2): Apparently they were donated.
• 15:58
  Damian Bacich: I see.
• 15:59
  Damian Bacich: Very interesting.
• 16:01
  Helena Hazleton (2): We have a statue.
• 16:02
  Helena Hazleton (2): It's the statue of the Immaculate Conception.
• 16:06
  Helena Hazleton (2): She's considered the sainted patron of San Diego.
• 16:10
  Helena Hazleton (2): And she was in the main altar of the Adobe Chapel.
• 16:13
  Helena Hazleton (2): We have her sitting in our, in one of our church chapels.
• 16:18
  Helena Hazleton (2): We're working on having it go to conservation next year.
• 16:23
  Helena Hazleton (2): Very beautiful gilded
• 16:24
  Damian Bacich: Okay.
• 16:25
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yes.
• 16:27
  Damian Bacich: of the things that makes San Luis Rey so interesting is that the fact that it has this sort of dome and and there's another right side dome right and you don't really get that in most of the other California missions.
• 16:45
  Damian Bacich: And it also makes for some really great acoustics, right?
• 16:50
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yes.
• 16:51
  Helena Hazleton (2): Our church has incredible acoustics.
• 16:54
  Damian Bacich: and what, what really made me think of that is I remember one of the first conferences I went to of the California Mission Studies Foundation.
• 17:04
  Damian Bacich: There was a man there who At the time he used to lead a choir of early California music and he was standing in the side chapel, I guess, singing the alabado.
• 17:20
  Damian Bacich: And it was just, gorgeous, you know, just to hear that.
• 17:23
  Damian Bacich: And he wasn't even projecting his voice, but it was echoing all throughout.
• 17:28
  Damian Bacich: So I think it's, it's a really beautiful and fascinating church.
• 17:34
  Damian Bacich: What about on the grounds itself?
• 17:38
  Damian Bacich: What other unique features are there that you might want to see if you if you visit the mission?
• 17:45
  Helena Hazleton (2): Well, you, if you have more than 20 minutes, then go to the lavanderia
• 17:48
  Damian Bacich: I,
• 17:49
  Helena Hazleton (2): after seeing the church.
• 17:51
  Damian Bacich: that.
• 17:51
  Damian Bacich: I, I've got to have the tour with you of the lavandería and, and it's really cool.
• 17:55
  Damian Bacich: So what, what stands out?
• 17:58
  Helena Hazleton (2): Well, if Mission San Luis Rey was, It's grand and vast and wealthy.
• 18:04
  Helena Hazleton (2): The lavandería shows that.
• 18:05
  Helena Hazleton (2): It's not other missions have still their lavanderías in front of their churches mostly.
• 18:11
  Damian Bacich: is, can you define it for everybody?
• 18:13
  Helena Hazleton (2): It's, it's, lavandería is the Spanish word for laundry.
• 18:16
  Helena Hazleton (2): It is a place, eh, where people used to get water but mostly women did laundry once or twice a week during the mission era.
• 18:28
  Helena Hazleton (2): In Mission San Luis Rey, the lavandería was an entire gated area with an orchard as well.
• 18:33
  Helena Hazleton (2): And there are steps, It's 46 steps.
• 18:38
  Helena Hazleton (2): We asked fourth graders to count because that slows them down running through, ruins of the Steps.
• 18:44
  Helena Hazleton (2): 46 steps leading down to two areas with pools and the ruins of an old filtration system.
• 18:54
  Helena Hazleton (2): Today the Lavanderia is in ruins.
• 18:56
  Helena Hazleton (2): We're working on, redoing the space.
• 19:01
  Helena Hazleton (2): Making it a little more walkable and tourist friendly mostly safe for field trips and tours as well, and adding native gardens, to make the area a little more sustainable as well.
• 19:17
  Helena Hazleton (2): But you can see the ruins of the old kiln, and there had been several archaeological studies done on the lavandería and how big it actually was.
• 19:28
  Helena Hazleton (2): The ruins of the lavandería were basically interrupted when the street right in front of the Mission, Mission Avenue, was made.
• 19:37
  Helena Hazleton (2): That destroyed the lavandería and part of it just ended up on the other side of the street outside of Mission property.
• 19:45
  Helena Hazleton (2): But it was a beautiful, intricate area.
• 19:48
  Helena Hazleton (2): One of the travelers in the 1860s, I believe it was Dujot Sili.
• 19:55
  Helena Hazleton (2): It was Eugene Duflot de Mofras.
• 19:58
  Helena Hazleton (2): When he, writes about the lavandería, he compares it to the orangería at Versailles.
• 20:06
  Helena Hazleton (2): That's how big it was.
• 20:08
  Helena Hazleton (2): And he says, not because it was grand, but the distribution of the steps make me think of the dimensions of the, the steps of the orangería at Versailles.
• 20:18
  Damian Bacich: You also showed us when we were there some of the artistic features of the lavandería, especially ones that kind of harken
• 20:24
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yes.
• 20:24
  Damian Bacich: to Mexico.
• 20:25
  Damian Bacich: Can you talk a little bit about that?
• 20:28
  Helena Hazleton (2): So, the two pools at the bottom of the steps have two faucets that are gargoyles, the water spouts from the mouth of the gargoyles, and most people think it bears resemblance to Aztec and Maya sculpture.
• 20:45
  Helena Hazleton (2): They're made out of volcanic stone, so we are not sure if they're local Most likely they were made by someone in the area.
• 20:55
  Helena Hazleton (2): But you can imagine that there was a master craftsman that was teaching the native Luiseño how to carve and, and showing them the, the influence of the, particularly Aztec.
• 21:07
  Helena Hazleton (2): Sculpture for the features of the Lavanderia.
• 21:12
  Damian Bacich: I mean, not being really an art historian myself, but having, having studied Mexican culture and history, you can't help but recognize those faces and those motifs.
• 21:25
  Damian Bacich: So then, You, as an art historian from Mexico, do you see a lot of similarities and connections, and also what differences do you notice, between the types of art and architecture that you find at a mission, the Mission San Luis Rey in particular, and maybe buildings or structures or art from the same time period in in Mexico or Central Mexico?
• 21:58
  Damian Bacich: What is the connection?
• 22:01
  Damian Bacich: Do you see a connection?
• 22:02
  Damian Bacich: I mean, obviously there must be some connection.
• 22:05
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yes.
• 22:06
  Helena Hazleton (2): And no, I'm from Mexico city.
• 22:09
  Helena Hazleton (2): Mexico city was a big city back in the day.
• 22:12
  Helena Hazleton (2): It was like the biggest cultural center closest to California at that point.
• 22:18
  Helena Hazleton (2): And California was frontier land.
• 22:21
  Helena Hazleton (2): So anything that came over here was.
• 22:23
  Helena Hazleton (2): an adaptation that had to work for the specific needs that you have in a territory that is far from pretty much everything else that you know of.
• 22:35
  Helena Hazleton (2): the missions were interconnected.
• 22:36
  Helena Hazleton (2): We know that for sure.
• 22:39
  Helena Hazleton (2): There was not much trade allowed.
• 22:42
  Helena Hazleton (2): Individually for the missions but they were still able to benefit from the big Spanish trade being right in between, China, the Manila galleons on their way back to Mexico and Peru.
• 22:58
  Helena Hazleton (2): So you kind of see those little items like the lacquered chests you see the vestments made out of silk that the friars were able to get to, that you will see similarly in, in Mexico City.
• 23:12
  Helena Hazleton (2): But you also see how things like architecture were adapted to the place, the specific place and the needs here.
• 23:21
  Helena Hazleton (2): For example in Mexico City where I'm from.
• 23:25
  Helena Hazleton (2): Churches were built from stones of the destroyed Aztec temples because that's what was available here.
• 23:33
  Helena Hazleton (2): You don't have that, so you have to make your own construction material.
• 23:37
  Helena Hazleton (2): That's why we have adobe and Clay.
• 23:40
  Helena Hazleton (2): They intentionally established Mission San Luis Rey by a river bank so they could use the clay to make the bricks.
• 23:48
  Helena Hazleton (2): For the church.
• 23:49
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yeah, they have to find construction material like the roof on in the church.
• 23:55
  Helena Hazleton (2): The wood beams a come from Mount Palomar oak trees in Mount Palomar because that was the tallest tree in the area.
• 24:03
  Helena Hazleton (2): You cannot build a church bigger than what we have because you don't have taller trees than that.
• 24:09
  Helena Hazleton (2): it is trying to adapt what you know of what's familiar into the specific needs that you have in the frontier territories.
• 24:20
  Damian Bacich: What other building projects or restoration projects are going on right now?
• 24:25
  Damian Bacich: Are there's the lavanderia you mentioned.
• 24:27
  Damian Bacich: Is there anything else going on?
• 24:30
  Helena Hazleton (2): We have the lavanderia and we're working right now on making sure that at least the artwork in the historic church is preserved in the near, in the near future.
• 24:44
  Helena Hazleton (2): The church is constantly working on preservation projects.
• 24:48
  Helena Hazleton (2): We had this year the church repainted by Spectra.
• 24:52
  Helena Hazleton (2): Spectra has worked on the retrofit and reconstruction of a lot of historic buildings, including missions.
• 24:59
  Helena Hazleton (2): We're reworking on sound systems and we're constantly doing fundraisers to help preserve the church and the mission itself.
• 25:09
  Helena Hazleton (2): Today the mission operates, it be The mission was rebuilt as a seminary for the friars, but the seminary is no longer here.
• 25:19
  Helena Hazleton (2): So our church has a big area that was restored with dormitories and classrooms and now it is used as a retreat center and people can stay here overnight.
• 25:29
  Helena Hazleton (2): So that helps with, with operational funds as well.
• 25:34
  Helena Hazleton (2): We work with the museum, well, At the museum we work on preservation mostly and visitor engagement and experience.
• 25:42
  Helena Hazleton (2): We have the only active cemetery and the oldest active cemetery in San Diego County, and it is one of the very few mission cemeteries where anybody can come and buy property to be buried here as well.
• 25:54
  Helena Hazleton (2): So it is a mission that is still very active in other areas as well, and the heart of it is because we're in a historic building that needs preservation.
• 26:02
  Damian Bacich: Right.
• 26:03
  Damian Bacich: So if somebody were to come, visiting San Diego and wants to visit Mrs.
• 26:10
  Damian Bacich: San Luis Rey and say they have a half day, would you structure their visit if they were if they had some good time to, to look around?
• 26:20
  Helena Hazleton (2): Good time to look around.
• 26:22
  Helena Hazleton (2): Definitely don't miss the church.
• 26:25
  Helena Hazleton (2): If you're coming on on your own there are materials at the church desk that our volunteers can let you borrow.
• 26:34
  Helena Hazleton (2): To, to learn a little bit about the art that we have in the church.
• 26:39
  Helena Hazleton (2): If you can come on a Saturday or Sunday, sign up for a guided tour.
• 26:43
  Helena Hazleton (2): It's the most complete experience that we, we offer.
• 26:46
  Helena Hazleton (2): And it lets you get into certain areas that are not open to public because we are an active mission.
• 26:54
  Helena Hazleton (2): And we have other responsibilities as well, like privacy for a guest of our retreat center.
• 27:00
  Helena Hazleton (2): But I would suggest sign up for a guided tour or.
• 27:04
  Helena Hazleton (2): Call us in advance, we can, we can arrange a private tour if you call us with enough time to plan ahead.
• 27:10
  Helena Hazleton (2): And we can make sure that the experience is good.
• 27:13
  Helena Hazleton (2): I would suggest the church is a must.
• 27:16
  Helena Hazleton (2): If you only have 20 minutes, go to the church.
• 27:18
  Helena Hazleton (2): That's my, my personal opinion.
• 27:22
  Helena Hazleton (2): The historic cemetery, it is an incredible place as well.
• 27:26
  Helena Hazleton (2): There is a lot of local history to learn just by reading the tombstones in the historic section of the cemetery.
• 27:32
  Helena Hazleton (2): And I highlight historic cemetery, historic section.
• 27:35
  Helena Hazleton (2): Because our cemetery is active and it's expanding.
• 27:37
  Helena Hazleton (2): So you see a modern new cemetery right next to a really old cemetery,
• 27:43
  Damian Bacich: I see.
• 27:43
  Helena Hazleton (2): the oldest in the area.
• 27:46
  Helena Hazleton (2): Then to get a little more perspective of what the history of the mission is, is and what happened here.
• 27:54
  Helena Hazleton (2): Our museum is, I would say after seeing several mission museums, it's one of the, probably one of the biggest, the one that occupies the most space.
• 28:05
  Helena Hazleton (2): And I like that it tells.
• 28:07
  Helena Hazleton (2): On purpose, the story of the two communities, not just the building, of the two communities that are responsible of the construction and preservation of the place.
• 28:19
  Helena Hazleton (2): So, of course, we tell the story of the Indigenous people, of the Luiseño people, and we tell the story of the Franciscan friars and how they still Take care of this place, basically.
• 28:31
  Helena Hazleton (2): Just as in Mission Santa Barbara.
• 28:34
  Helena Hazleton (2): We have a beautiful gift shop.
• 28:36
  Helena Hazleton (2): People love our gift shop.
• 28:38
  Helena Hazleton (2): We have a coffee shop with a beautiful patio overlooking the oldest pepper tree in California, 200 year old pepper tree.
• 28:46
  Helena Hazleton (2): And then grab energy to hike down to the lavanderia because again, the lavanderia is not right next to the church like in other missions.
• 28:56
  Helena Hazleton (2): It is a hike down the property and you have to go down 46 steps and go back up 46
• 29:02
  Damian Bacich: And you can Count them.
• 29:04
  Helena Hazleton (2): so yeah, we count them every single day we have fourth graders.
• 29:08
  Helena Hazleton (2): It slows them down.
• 29:10
  Helena Hazleton (2): our trick.
• 29:10
  Helena Hazleton (2): And
• 29:12
  Damian Bacich: I, I would highly recommend, a visit to Mission San Luis Rey, especially if you're in a San Diego area or if you're in Orange County, I've been very impressed by it and exactly the, the history connected to it and the fact that, it's in such a beautiful state and, you know, the, the Luiseño people are, are still active and connected to the mission.
• 29:41
  Damian Bacich: There's the story of Pablo Tak, there's Father Perry, there's, Father O'Keefe who helped bring it back.
• 29:50
  Damian Bacich: Thank you.
• 29:50
  Damian Bacich: There's so many interesting stories.
• 29:52
  Damian Bacich: And then that, that La Banderia, as you mentioned, which is, which is very spectacular and you can just imagine people down there doing their laundry, et cetera.
• 30:02
  Damian Bacich: a really great place in a beautiful location to visit.
• 30:07
  Helena Hazleton (2): If, if I may say one more thing, about the Luiseño people in particular, Well, the local band.
• 30:17
  Helena Hazleton (2): of Mission Indians, the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians has been fighting for federal recognition for a long, long time.
• 30:27
  Helena Hazleton (2): So they, depend on institutions around the area.
• 30:32
  Helena Hazleton (2): That one of those institutions is the mission to help them preserve their culture and traditions.
• 30:37
  Helena Hazleton (2): There is a very recent book done by a local Luiseño scholar.
• 30:43
  Helena Hazleton (2): Her name is Olivia Chilcote.
• 30:45
  Helena Hazleton (2): Her book is called Unrecognized in California.
• 30:48
  Helena Hazleton (2): And she tells the story of the fight for federal recognition and how federal recognition has affected her particular tribe, the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians.
• 30:59
  Helena Hazleton (2): And how difficult it is to do anything without the federal recognition when they try to preserve, the only thing they want to do is to preserve their own culture and traditions.
• 31:09
  Damian Bacich: Yeah, I know that that's a, that's a big struggle.
• 31:11
  Damian Bacich: Also here in Northern California, a number of, of Indigenous groups looking for that federal recognition which is key to being able to do a lot of different things.
• 31:23
  Damian Bacich: But is there anything else that we want to mention before we finish up?
• 31:29
  Helena Hazleton (2): If you're ever in San Diego in North County, don't forget to visit Mission San Luis Rey.
• 31:35
  Damian Bacich: Absolutely.
• 31:35
  Helena Hazleton (2): It is, it is a must.
• 31:37
  Helena Hazleton (2): And because we're not, the mission is kind of far from downtown Oceanside.
• 31:43
  Helena Hazleton (2): We're about five miles inland.
• 31:45
  Helena Hazleton (2): A lot of people who visit the area just for the beaches kind of miss the mission.
• 31:49
  Helena Hazleton (2): And it is a beautiful space.
• 31:52
  Helena Hazleton (2): Once you get to see what the mission is about, it's a place that attracts people for some reason.
• 31:58
  Helena Hazleton (2): It has like an interesting energy.
• 32:01
  Damian Bacich: It really does.
• 32:03
  Damian Bacich: So Elena, I want to thank you.
• 32:06
  Damian Bacich: Mission San Luis Rey is one of my favorite places to visit when I'm in the San Diego area, Oceanside.
• 32:13
  Damian Bacich: And if people have a chance to go there, they may even meet you, right?
• 32:22
  Helena Hazleton (2): I run tours every once in a while.
• 32:25
  Damian Bacich: if you're so lucky as to have a tour with, with Elena Hazleton, you will come away knowing a lot about the history and art and architecture of Mission San Luis Rey.
• 32:37
  Helena Hazleton (2): Any docent is equally passionate about what we do at the mission.
• 32:42
  Damian Bacich: So thank you.
• 32:43
  Damian Bacich: Thank you for spending your time to talk with us.
• 32:47
  Damian Bacich: And once again, I really appreciate what you've talked about and I really think everybody should take the opportunity to visit, to visit Mission San Luis Rey.
• 32:58
  Helena Hazleton (2): Yes.
• 32:59
  Helena Hazleton (2): Thank you, Damian.
• 33:00
  Damian Bacich: are welcome.
• 33:12
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