"Mission San Antonio de Padua" Jolon by Gwynethart

Jolon Travel Guide: 21 reviews and 94 photos

A very remote place!

Mission San Antonio de Padua was founded 14 July 1771 (3rd in order) by Blessed Junípero Serra. The mission is named for Saint Anthony. The Indian name was Teshhaya, or Sextapay. The mission is largely restored from the rebuilt original. The current site is about three miles from the original mission.

Mission San Antonio de Padua was built where there were already 20 Salinan Indian villages. It produced wine, flour, leather, and whatever else was needed to support the lives of several thousand people.

While many of these indigenous people died from the Europeans' diseases, they are not extinct. The Salinan Nation Gathers annually at Mission San Antonio.

To learn more about Salinan culture, visit this website: Salinan Elders of the Land

Pomegranate: Romans called it "mala punica."

Pomegranates

The climate here is quite dry and hot, and pomegranates thrive in this "Mediterranean" environment. This fruit was actually brought from the Mediterranean region by Spanish sailors and missionaries soon after Cortez conquered Mexico in 1521. It was a useful fruit on voyages because the hard skin helped keep the fruit fresh longer. The padres of the missions planted the pomegranate trees throughout California.

Adobe

Adobe and Cactus

The walls of the mission are thick adobe. On a very hot day, the interior of the building stays quite cool.

On land that once belonged to William Randolph Hearst, the Mission was part of his hunting game reserve, so he protected it. Later, it was the Hearst Foundation that financed the restoration in 1949. Then, they traded the land with the mission to the U.S. Government.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Interesting California history
In a nutshell:History in beautiful surroundings

Intro Updated Jan 23, 2005
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Reviews (5)

Frescos Things to Do (3)

Here is another fresco inside the mission. This one is in the music room, and it looks so esoteric - I really like it! more travel advice

Music Things to Do (3)

Frescos can be found throughout the mission, reflecting their daily lives. This room has musical instruments on display. more travel advice

San Antonio de Padua Chapel Things to Do (3)

While I am not a big fan of what happened to the Native American population when the missions were built, I do find the... more travel advice

Courtyard of San Antonio de Padua - Jolon

Light and Shapes Off The Beaten Path (2)

I love the old way of building with the adobe bricks, with the irregular lines. The light and shadow here is really... more travel advice

Comments (6)

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Ewingjr98 Jan 27, 2008 at 7:54 PM

Nice tips... we just visited a week ago and didn't see any peacocks. I assume the big herd of cats that now roams the property took care of the birds... :(
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atufft Dec 19, 2007 at 12:04 AM

It's nice to know that I'm not the only VT member to visit this fine place...
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aadil Nov 14, 2005 at 10:39 PM

Great pictures of the music room and hand looks like a palmist's (palm reader's) chart!!! Pretty peacock with the statue too. Love to see such places wherever I go but I did not make it to California on my two trips to the USA. ;-))
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grandmaR Apr 2, 2005 at 1:38 PM

Glad someone has visited here since we were here long ago.
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RedEaredPanda Feb 4, 2005 at 12:44 PM

Missions are wonderful gems in California to visit.. We've made it our mission to visit all missions while in California.. Haven't been to San Antonio de Padua but looks gorgeous.. THanks for sharing..
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manuelEB Jan 30, 2005 at 10:47 PM

Nice photography here!