
See more

Who is Saint Juan Bautista?
San Juan Bautista is a former Spanish mission in San Juan Bautista, California. It was the 15th of California's 21 missions. The mission is named for John the Baptist, a prophet from the time of Jesus Christ. Mission San Juan Bautista has been known as the Mission of Music almost since its founding.
What is the meaning of San Juan Bautista?
Saint John the BaptistThe Spanish named a California mission San Juan Bautista meaning Saint John the Baptist, when they founded it in the late 18th century. The name was expanded by linguists to mean the natives of the region gathered at the mission, and their primary language.
What is San Juan Bautista used for?
Mission San Juan Bautista has served mass daily since 1797, and today functions as a parish church of the Diocese of Monterey.
Why was San Juan Bautista chosen?
The padre chose the area because of its proximity to a large American Indian population, and soon over 1,200 native people were living, working, and worshiping at the San Juan Bautista Mission.
Why is San Juan Bautista called the mission of Music?
San Juan Bautista is also known as the Mission of Music. The priest not only wrote new music in a quatrain format, but they handmade all of the hymnals. The hymnals were made large so a large group of Indians could read or sing from it at the same time.
What is San Juan Bautista nickname?
Mission of MusicThe fame of the padre's boys choir in the early 1800s earned San Juan Bautista the nickname “Mission of Music.” The 1797 Spanish mission, one of California's largest, is central to this very small, serene community at the foot of the Gabilan Mountains.
Who lived in San Juan Bautista?
Prior to the Spanish occupation of California, the San Juan Valley was the home of the Mutsun Indians. One of their village sites was on the eastern edge of San Juan Bautista. The Mutsun built the beehive-shaped huts of willow and coarse grass.
What was Mission San Juan Bautista like?
Daily life at the mission The jobs that needed to be done was to gather food to cook food. The mission raised 6,000 cattle ,604 sheep ,296 houses ,13 mules. There was a school and Fray Martiarena was the teacher. There was a church ,workshops, and a jail.
How do you draw San Juan Bautista?
3:3410:51Let's Draw Mission San Juan Bautista! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd I put a dot. And on the right hand side I go towards the left curved line out curved line downMoreAnd I put a dot. And on the right hand side I go towards the left curved line out curved line down go back to the dot curved. Line out curved. Line down come back to the left.
What happened to the San Juan Bautista Mission?
Today part of the mission can be toured, and historical artifacts and exhibits are on display. The buildings still belong to the Catholic Church and therefore are not, strictly speaking, part of San Juan Bautista State Historic Park.
What happens on San Juan Bautista Day?
As with most patron saint festivals, the Festival de San Juan Bautista begins at the church and moves onto the streets. Old San Juan becomes an open-air street party with crowds making their way through the old city, parades, live bomba y plena music, dances and folks in colorful traditional clothing on full display.
How do you pronounce San Juan Bautista?
0:010:17San Juan Bautista (How to Pronounce Cities of the World) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSan Juan Bautista San Juan Bautista San Juan Bautista San Juan Bautista.MoreSan Juan Bautista San Juan Bautista San Juan Bautista San Juan Bautista.
Places
San Juan Bautista, Bolivia, Jesuit mission ruins near the village of San Juan de Taperas
See also
This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title San Juan Bautista.
Historical Gallery
San Juan Bautista offers the best opportunity to see and appreciate the California of 160 years ago. The well-preserved mission founded on June 24, 1797 is picturesque. There are about 30 historic buildings in the 12-block area surrounding a Spanish Plaza (the only one remaining in California).
Contemporary Gallery
The Contemporary Image Gallery displays photographs of the mission taken during several visits by the Executive Director of the California Missions Resource Center.
Architectural Gallery
East elevations of Mission San Juan Bautista by Roger Blaine, Historic American Buildings Survey.
Who was the San Juan Bautista commander?
After the latter was destroyed by the northern tribes in March 1758, the San Juan Bautista commandant, Manuel Rodríguez, took a company of soldiers to join the punitive expedition and remained a year in temporary command of the San Sabá garrison.
Where was San Juan Bautista Mission?
San Juan Bautista Mission was founded on St. John's Day, June 24, 1699, on the Río de Sabinas, some twenty-five miles north of Lampazos, Nuevo León, Mexico, with 150 Indians of various Coahuiltecan bands. It lasted only a few months at this site, then was reestablished on January 1, 1700, at the site of present-day Guerrero, Coahuila, ...
What river is San Juan Bautista on?
Map of Spanish Texas along the Rio Grande River, showing the San Juan Bautista mission. Image courtesy of Texas Beyond History. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
When was San Juan Bautista joined by the second mission?
On March 1, 1700, Mission San Juan Bautista was joined by a second mission, San Francisco Solano. A year later the viceroy, responding to pleas of the missionaries for protection, provided a roving company under Ramón's command. In 1703 a military plaza was laid out, and the "flying company" became the garrison of Presidio de San Juan Bautista del ...
What did San Juan provide to the Marqués?
San Juan provided grain, cattle, and remounts to bolster the faltering expedition of the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo in 1721–22. Nuestra Señora de Loreto Presidio, founded by Aguayo, was commanded in succession by two members of the Ramón family from San Juan Bautista, Domingo and his son Diego III. At midcentury San Juan provided livestock and ...
How many Indians were baptized at Mission San Juan?
In 1781 they were again reassigned, this time to the Missionary College of Pachuca. The missions declined sharply. By 1790 Mission San Juan, which had baptized 1,434 Indians up to 1761, had only sixty-three natives under instruction.
When did Guerrero become a staging area for Santa Anna's army?
Even to this declining village, the processions of history still came. From January 10 to February 16, 1836, Guerrero served as the staging area for Antonio López de Santa Anna 's army, marching on San Antonio de Béxar. In March 1842 Rafael Vásquez, having looted San Antonio, withdrew to Guerrero with his plunder.
When is the feast of San Juan Bautista?
The feast of San Juan Bautista in the city is celebrated every July 24, the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. His fiesta is also marks the main festival of the city that became an attraction for years, the "Wattah Wattah Festival" or more commonly known as "Basaan". The Wattah Wattah festival is a celebration ...
Who is the patron of San Juan?
San Juan Bautista - The Patron of San Juan City. In the modern city of San Juan, known for its modern feel with the existence of a famed shopping center, some notable schools and convents and played an important role during the Philippine revolution. One of the most enduring devotion in the city is their devotion to the city's titular patron - St.
What is the reservoir in San Juan?
The San Juan reservoir, dubbed El Deposito, added to San Juan’s reputation and became and tourist attraction. The Carriedo system operated until 1929, when a more extensive and modern water system was established, and it was relegated to storing a backup supply of water for the city.
What is San Juan known for?
In the modern city of San Juan, known for its modern feel with the existence of a famed shopping center, some notable schools and convents and played an important role during the Philippine revolution. One of the most enduring devotion in the city is their devotion to the city's titular patron - St. John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist became part of the history of the city that his fiesta, known for its "basaan" tradition became one of the city's much awaited event.
What was the importance of San Juan?
The role of San Juan as the capital’s source of potable water conferred a considerable amount of strategic political importance upon the sleepy town in the hills, and would influence the Katipunan’s plans to overthrow the Spanish colonial regime.
When was San Juan del Monte built?
The current location of the city was named "San Juan del Monte" (Saint John of the Mountain), owing to the area's hilly terrain. Although the parish was established on July 15, 1894, the construction of the first church happened in 1895, under the supervision of architect Luis Arellano and the financial support of Mariano Artiaga.
Who was the first Spanish to build a water system?
In 1733, a Spanish nobleman named Don Francisco de Carriedo donated funds towards raising enough money to devise a more efficient water delivery system for the needs of the growing city. Construction began in 1878, with pumps imported from France and iron pipes from England, and the Carriedo water system was inaugurated in 1882.
Who founded Mission San Juan Bautista?
Mission San Juan Bautista, named in honor of St. John the Baptist, was established on June 24,1797, by Father Fermín Lasuén, Franciscan missionary and successor to Father Junípero Serra. Known as the Mission of Music, it is the 15th and largest of the 21 California Missions. Mission San Juan Bautista is an active parish church, ...
What tribes lived in San Juan Bautista?
Spanish expeditions arrived in the San Juan Valley in the late 1700’s. The Spanish settlers came in contact with an Ohlone tribe known as the Mutsun, who inhabited the area.
When was Mission San Juan Bautista built?
Mission San Juan Bautista, named in honor of St. John the Baptist, was established on June 24,1797, ...
Is Mission San Juan Bautista a parish church?
Mission San Juan Bautista is an active parish church, serving a mostly Spanish-speaking community in much the same setting as in 1820. Of the mission quadrangle, only the large front wing remains. The San Juan Bautista Plaza Historic District, which includes the Mission, is a National Historic Landmark that celebrates this history ...
What did San Juan Bautista grow?
Like most California missions, the Mission San Juan Bautista supported itself and the Native inhabitants of the area by growing crops of wheat and corn. They also raised herds of horses and cattle, and cultivated grapes in a vineyard.
Who founded Mission San Juan Bautista?
Father Fermin Lasuen, second Father-Presidente of the Alta California Mission Chain, founded the Mission San Juan Bautista on June 24th, 1797. It was the 15th of California’s 21 missions. Located in the center of the San Juan Valley, it sits directly on the San Andreas fault-line.
What did the earthquakes do to San Juan Bautista?
The earthquakes at the mission did a lot of damage, but the padres compensated for the loss of structures. The Indian population at San Juan Bautista grew very rapidly, providing both the need and the labor for the construction of a new, larger church. So when a massive earthquake destroyed the church in 1803, another larger one was immediately ...
How dangerous was the San Juan Valley?
The mission was established only 13 days after Father Lasuen dedicated the mission at San Jose. The area was less dangerous than some other mission sites. The San Juan Valley was nevertheless an eventful place to build a structure. It’s located directly above the fault. That made for an unstable environment. The ground would often shake so badly that work would have to be stopped. The shaking was so severe that the padres were forced to sleep outside for the entire month of October in 1798. There were often as many as six small tremors a day.
Is San Juan Bautista a mission town?
Mission San Juan Bautista Through Recent Times. The town of San Juan Bautista began as a mission town, but soon grew to be much more. During the California Gold Rush, the area became packed with eager forty-niners looking to make their fortunes. The town still stands today as a booming Western city.

Overview
San Juan Bautista (Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist") is a city in San Benito County, in the U.S. state of California. The population was 2,089 as of the 2020 census. San Juan Bautista was founded in 1797 by the Spanish under Fermín de Lasuén, with the establishment of Mission San Juan Bautista. Following the Mexican secularization of 1833, the town was briefly known as San Juan de Castro and eventually incorporated in 1896. Today, San Juan is a popular tourist destin…
History
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area around San Juan Bautista was populated by the Mutsun, a tribe of the Ohlone Nation of Indigenous Californians. The Mutsunes lived in villages in the area around San Juan Bautista, in settlements composed of thatched huts made of willow and native grasses.
In 1797, the Spanish Franciscan priest fray Fermín de Lasuén founded Mission San Juan Bautista t…
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km ), 99.94% of it land and 0.06% of it water.
The Gabilán Range is to the south of San Juan Bautista. Fremont Peak, overlooking the town of San Juan, is open to the public as Fremont Peak State Park.
Demographics
At the 2010 census San Juan Bautista had a population of 1,862. The population density was 2,616.4 people per square mile (1,010.2/km ). The racial makeup of San Juan Bautista was 1,125 (60.4%) White, 12 (0.6%) African American, 58 (3.1%) Native American, 52 (2.8%) Asian, 2 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 494 (26.5%) from other races, and 119 (6.4%) from two or more races. There were 907 His…
Economy
San Juan is largely an agricultural community, though the town has a strong tourist industry, owing to its historic and cultural sites.
Earthbound Farm, based in San Juan, is the largest producer of organic salads in the United States.
The Fremont Peak Observatory, located atop Fremont Peak in the Gabilán Range, is a non-profit as…
Government
In the California State Legislature, San Juan Bautista is in the 12th Senate District, represented by Democrat Anna Caballero, and in the 30th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Robert Rivas.
In the United States House of Representatives, San Juan Bautista is in California's 20th congressional district, represented by Democrat Jimmy Panetta.
Media
CMAP TV - Community Media Access Partnership operates Channels 17, 18, 19 & 20 on Charter/Spectrum Cable as well as streaming online, offering public access and educational programming to Gilroy and San Benito County as well as covering live civic meetings, including the City of San Juan Bautista.
Notable people
• Amalia Mesa-Bains, Chicana feminist author and artist
• Ed Walker, last surviving member of the Alaskan Scouts
• George H. Moore, member of Los Angeles City Council
• Jaime Cortez, artist and LGBT rights activist