History of Mission San Juan Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano was founded in November 1, 1776 by Fr. Junipero Serra. The Main Church was called the Great Stone Church since it was made of rocks. It was completed in 1806. In 1812, a large earthquake destroyed the main chapel in San Juan Capistrano, but the smaller Serra chapel remained.

Today Junipero Serra Chapel is the oldest church in California and the only standing chapel in California that Fr. Junipero Serra held mass. In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain, ending the control of the missions by the Franciscan priest. The mission was abandoned. The building orchards were sold at auction in 1845 to John Forster for $710.00, and he lived there for 20 years.

Location of the Mission
The mission is located in Alto California, on EI Camino Real between Mission San Luis Rey to the South and Gabriel to the North.

Indian Tribe
The Acjachemen (A-ha-che-men) Indian tribe we call the Juanefios tribe, live near the mission. They are peaceful hunters and gatherers, not a 'war' tribe, living in family unit villages built form dwellings called Kiicha.

Accommodations
On the Mission grounds there are three churches, a kitchen, a pantry, a hat shop, a candle shop, a winery, a wine room, a carpenter shop, a wool weaving store, a shoe shop, a soap factory, a metal working shop, olive press, a bakery and guest rooms. There is plenty of fresh water from the well at the mission. It is distributed through a series of irrigation channels There are 74 adobe houses just outside the mission for

neophytes. 40 of the adobe were built in 1794, and 37 more built in 1807. Please come and join the mission. Get protection from the mission and be taught the Catholic religion.

Type of work at the Mission
We grow many crops at the mission. Acorns, wheat, barley grapes, olives, pomegranates, corn, garbanzo beans, and many other fruits are grown here. A metate is used to grind acorns, wheat, corn and barley into flour. We make wine from the grapes in the mission winery. Olives are used to make olive oil.

Come learn how to produce wrought iron, make metal tools and hardware using the two Catalan Furnaces at the Mission. This will introduce you to metal working. These are the first metal working furnaces in California, so come and learn from us we have the most experience of anyone in Alto California.