10.2a.8 Vue du Presidio de San Francisco

In the late 1700s, Father Junipero Serra and other Franciscan friars established a string of missions along the coast of what is today California. Together with the friars, officials and soldiers from the Spanish colony of New Spain built small towns and presidios. The friars wanted to convert the California Indians to Catholic Christianity and tried to attract them to come and live at the missions. Many Indians died of disease; others resisted and were forced to obey. California Indians provided much of the labor to build and maintain the presidios in Alta California; to create tools, furniture, and other necessities; and to grow food for the colony. Soldiers often forced some Natives to perform manual labor when they were caught doing something that the Spanish decided was a small crime, like fleeing from the mission or taking a mission cow back to an Indian village. A French artist passed through San Francisco in the early 1800s and painted this representation of the Presidio of San Francisco with Spanish soldiers and settlers using California Indians as forced labor. How did the Spanish treat the California Indians?

Besides showing students how an unequal social system operated in eighteenth-century California, this source is significant because it demonstrates the prevalence of colonialism. Throughout the Americas, the southeast Asian islands, Australia, and coastal Africa, European conquerors had carved out colonies. They became the rulers of all nonwhite local people, dispossessed local landholders, and extracted resources and wealth from their colonies. In many colonies, such as New Spain, the conquerors also imposed their religion and culture on the local people. This image shows some of the work of the soldiers (on the horses), and it also shows the experience of California Indians. It appears these Indians are being forcibly led to the presidio, either as punishment of some kind or to perform labor. California Indians provided much of the labor to build and maintain the presidios in Alta California; to create tools, furniture, and other necessities; and to grow food for the colony. Soldiers often forced some Natives to perform manual labor when they were caught doing something that the Spanish decided was a small crime, like fleeing from the mission or taking a mission cow back to an Indian village.

"Lith. de Lanlume rue dl'Abbaye N 4
Lith par V Adam d'apres Choris

Vue du Presidio de Sn Francisco "