Serra Museum Education Program
Water ~ Barter ~ Shelter ~ Food ~ Dig Box ~ City Life ~ Mission & Rancho Life

Mission and Rancho life

The Spanish priests and soldiers who came to San Diego in 1769 did not bring much food with them, and they did not know how to gather, catch, or prepare the foods that the Kumeyaay ate. The first groups of European settlers almost starved as they waited for Spanish ships to bring the food they were used to eating. Seeds, tools, and animals like cattle, sheep and goats were brought from Spain so the settlers could raise their own food. There was no way for the people to get things except by ship, so if they needed something, they either had to make it themselves, or wait.

The priests and soldiers already knew how to do and make a lot of the things that would be needed in Alta California. Kumeyaay and other local Indians who agreed to live at the Mission and become Christians were used as free labor and taught how to make adobe bricks, clay tiles, and build buildings. They made candles, sewed clothes, and grew and prepared the foods that the Spanish liked to eat.

After Mexico took control of Alta California, large ranchos, or farms, were given to some of the leaders' friends. The owner of the rancho was like a king. His whole family would live on the rancho, and often a large group of Indians lived there, too. The Indians did almost all of the work on the rancho. They were not paid money for their work, but were given food, clothes, and a place to live by the ranchero, or owner. There were many parties and fiestas held by the rancheros, and the Indians did all the cooking, cleaning, and hard work while the owners and their families enjoyed the party. Since there were no telephones, radios, or regular newspapers, these fiestas were a way that the people learned the news about other people. Sometimes the fiestas lasted many days.

Things to see and do:

1. Look at the picture of the sala, or main room of the owners house on a rancho.
2. For each word below, put the number of the item next to the name of the kind of worker who made or would use that thing.
   • Vaquero (cowboy)
   • seamstress
   • harness maker
   • weaver
   • shoemaker
   • gardener
   • cook
   • winemaker
   • carpenter
   • baker
   • blacksmith
3. Read the stories about a day in the life of two people on a Rancho. Which person would you like to be? Why did you decide NOT to be the other person?
4. If you were going to start a rancho today, what jobs would your workers have to know how to do so that you could live like you do now?

1. Sometimes the workers on the ranchos were Indians whose families were living on the land when the Spanish came to San Diego. How do you think they felt, having to take orders from someone whose family might have taken away their land?
2. Rancho lands were very big, and the ranchero could chose to put his ranch house or hacienda any place that he wanted on his rancho. Do you think it would be more important to put the house close by a river, or where the cattle could get good grass, or near the trail leading to the nearest town?

My name is Jose and I work on Senor Pico's rancho. I make iron shoes for the horses on the rancho, and I fix the shovels and tools when they break. My job is called a blacksmith. I get up early in the morning to start the fire where I heat the metal. The fire is very hot, and the work is hard and messy. After I heat the metal in the hot fire, I put it on a rock and pound it with a heavy hammer. I keep hitting the metal until it is the shape that I want. Then I put the hot metal into some water, which makes a lot of noise and steam. When I am done working at night, I am dirty and sweaty and tired, and very hungry. It seems like I am always hungry and thirsty, because the work is so hard and I sometimes am too tired to eat. Senor Pico lets me sleep here at the rancho, and gives me food and sometimes some clothes. My family lives here, too, and works for Senor Pico. We like it when there is a big fiesta, because there is always lots of special food and good music and dancing.

My name is Senor Pico, and I am the owner of this rancho. I have 1500 cattle and 800 sheep on the rancho, and about 50 Indians who work here. My mayordomo Ramon runs the ranch for me. He makes sure everyone is working and has what they need. Since I am an important man in this area, I often have to ride my horse to San Diego to take care of business. Sometimes I am gone for many days, and Ramon takes care of the ranch. Like the other rancho owners nearby, I love a good fiesta! A fiesta is our chance to visit and share gossip, to look over each other's horses. My wife and daughters take days getting their hair and dresses ready for a fiesta, and the cooks, bakers, and winemakers are kept busy getting all the good food and drink ready for my friends. It seems like one fiesta has just finished, and someone else is already planning the next one.