Archaeological Site

During the summer of 1966, students from area Universities began excavating this south wing of the mission quadrangle as part of their archaeological studies. Remains of the adobe walls and tile floors of this “convento” wing indicate that this wing was used as the padres’ living quarters, library, waiting rooms and guest rooms.

As we observe the ruins, we can focus upon the difficult and time-intensive task involved in making the adobe bricks. But the Padres wanted to introduce adobe brick-making to the Native Americans

To begin the process, a bowl shaped hole was dug in the ground. Straw was placed in the hole and mixed with enough water, soil, and manure to obtain a thick, stiff mixture. The mixture was poured into moistened wooden forms and leveled out . The wooden forms were approximately 11”x 23”x 4”. After setting for a while, the bricks were carefully removed from the forms and were left to dry in the sun for 90 days. The bricks were wet down a little each day so that they would not become brittle.

Once the bricks were cured and ready for use, they were placed over trenches lined with smooth round rocks for drainage. The walls of the adobe building would be three to four feet thick. Wooden beams were placed on top to form support for the roof and slowly raised to the desired height.

A limestone mixture was used to cover the bricks to strengthen the walls and to provide a waterproof barrier.

It is possible to determine the crops that were grown at each mission by testing the straw components in the original bricks.