California missions spotlight: Mission Santa Cruz was known for its cruelty -- and a deadly revolt
Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz
12th mission
1791
Explore all of California’s 21 famed missions >>
The Santa Cruz mission struggled from the start and probably never grew larger than the 523 residents it reported in 1796. Author John J. O’Hagan notes in “Lands Never Trodden: The Franciscans and the California Missions” that Father Andrés Quintana was apparently killed by neophytes (as the padres called baptized converts) in 1812, soon after inventing a wire-tipped whip to punish runaway Native Americans. Earthquakes and time destroyed most of the original mission buildings. In the 1880s, the Roman Catholic Church built a replacement (Holy Cross Catholic Church) in the English Gothic style, with a skinny steeple and no trace of Spanish influence. In the 1930s, a scaled-down replica of the long-gone mission church was built half a block away at 130 Emmet St. One building did remain from the original mission: an 1824 dwelling used by neophyte families, perhaps the only surviving neophyte residence in the state. The state acquired the building in the 1950s, and now it is the core of Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park, with seven rooms of exhibits and multimedia presentations on the native Ohlone and Yokuts peoples, local families and church history.
Nearby: Holy Cross Catholic Church and the state historic park are clustered around Mission Plaza within a block of each other. Head 2.2 miles south to 701 W. Cliff Drive, where a spectacularly placed lighthouse houses the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum (www.santacruzsurfingmuseum.org) and looks upon cliffs, big waves and plenty of surfers.
Info: Holy Cross Catholic Church, 126 High St., Santa Cruz; (831) 423-4182, www.holycrosssantacruz.com. Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park, 144 School St., Santa Cruz; (831) 425-5849, bit.ly/1tpd80G. Driving distance from Los Angeles City Hall: 346 miles northwest.
From the archives:
In 1957, The Times described how Mission Santa Cruz was all but destroyed by a series of earthquakes, tidal waves, disease and criminal attacks.
In a 2005 obituary, The Times reported on how a restoration project at Santa Cruz launched the career of preservationist and mission historian Edna Kimbro.
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