La Purisima Mission: A Step Back in Time

Many of the 21 California Missions we’ve visited have been beautiful gardens with majestic looking churches. Sometimes, it’s not the most beautiful or well maintained that makes a lasting impression but the most authentic. That is La Purisima Mission State Historic Park.

Location of La Purisima Mission

Mission La Purisima is located near the rolling hills and verdant vineyards of Central California. The mission, tucked away in hundreds of acres of isolated ranch land in the city of Lompoc, offers an easy side trip from Solvang, also known as the “Danish Capital of America.”

Considered the most restored of the Spanish Missions throughout California, this mission represents life here in 1820. In the 1930s, it underwent restoration with authentic furnishings, restoring ten of the original buildings. The mission had fallen into disrepair in the early 1900s due to neglect, ownership changes, and weather elements.

It was eerily quiet and there was hardly anyone here on a Sunday morning during a holiday weekend. The grounds looked deserted and had a rustic, ranch feel to it. History comes alive here so walk along with us through this living museum into Mission La Purisima’s past.

History of the La Purisima Mission

The Spanish Franciscan priest, Father Fermin Lasuen, founded Mission La Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima (Mission of the Immaculate Conception of Most Holy Mary) on December 8, 1787. It was the 11th mission among the 21 missions established in what eventually became California. The Mission flourished and at one time, was home to 1,000 Chumash Indians and over 20,000 cattle and sheep.

The Spanish used the missions as active outposts to baptize the Native Americans and convert them into Catholics. The Spanish empire employed the Chumash Indians as laborers and granted full citizenship in with promises of mission wealth and land in La Purisima.

However, the Spaniards did not fulfill those promises. This has remained a controversial topic in California’s history.

The Mission became the largest historical restoration project in America’s Civilian Conservation Corp.  This included building 140,000 new adobe bricks.

Residence Buildings at La Purisima Mission

The distinctive residence building corridor was the main one that housed many of the restored rooms.  They used the covered area for work, relaxation and social activities. It was a wonderful example of classic Spanish Mission architecture.

The rooms offered an interesting glimpse into the life at the mission and how it functioned as a thriving community in the early 1800s. We saw the soldier’s quarters, the corporal’s and master weaver’s apartments and priests’ rooms. They were all very sparse with beds that just looked very uncomfortable.

The soldier’s rooms or barracks were the quarters for 5-7 Spanish soldiers that protected the Mission.  They prominently displayed weapons such as lances, swords, and rawhide shields above their beds.

The Mayodormo or Ranch Manager’s room was the only one that had a comfortable bed. It had amazing little details of period items displayed throughout the rooms.

Craft Rooms at La Purisima Mission

Over 100 people worked in the Mission’s weaving industry. The room below was a reproduction of what the weaving shop looked like back then. They spun and wove wool to make 1,000 blankets annually. They used these blankets within the mission or traded them to passing ships for necessities.

In the Candle Making Room, they showcased racks that they would lower into melted animal fat (tallow). Then, they built layers of “tallow” onto the wicks. They used tallow candles throughout the mission, except at the church’s altars. It actually smelled like wax and candles in here.

Mission La Purisima gained popularity for its production of leather and rawhide. In the leather shop room, they demonstrated the process of producing leather and rawhide. They used rawhide ties on roof beams and as ropes.

They produced leather, which they used for shoes and saddles, from tanned rawhide.

The Mission Chapels

There were two chapels within the Mission. One of them had a beautiful altar with colorful wall paintings.  This is no longer an active church, unlike the other missions, so the chapels looked bare.

They assigned two missionaries to the missions. These chapels showcased how religious activities were celebrated here.

I can almost imagine the delicious Spanish food that they cooked in this kitchen. One of the great things about this mission was that they laid out everything in the open, without placing it behind glass windows.

They allowed visitors to walk through the rooms to enhance their overall experience. It wasn’t hard to imagine how life was like for the Spaniards and the Indians here.

The Outside Gardens at La Purisima Mission

Outside was a five-acre mission garden that showed the native plants and herbs grown here.  The grounds were lovely for a peaceful and leisurely stroll.  Fountains are part of many missions and this one had two beautiful ones.

There were also animals which included horses, donkeys, chickens, sheep, goats, pigs and even a bull and turkey in one part of the park. It was a reminder that this was a working ranch at one time. The kids were able to feed the horses with some hay but we wished we thought to bring carrots too.

We found reproductions of the Chumash Indians’ straw huts outside and even got a peek into how it would have looked inside.

Events at the La Purisima Mission

Several times a year, the mission hosts a recreation of life back in the days. Docents in costumes demonstrate weaving, candle making, adobe brick building, pottery and shows of their daily lives at the mission. It sounds like a wonderful way to educate the public.

Its authentic restoration has made this a favorite among visitors, teachers and historians statewide.  Mission La Purisima is a designated state historic park whose grounds and structures are a “monument to California’s roots”.

It was a wonderful lesson in history especially for kids. My kids loved the expansive grounds to explore and the variety of animals to see.  The details in the restored rooms really made us feel like we stepped back in time to mission life in the early 1800s.

Tips for Visiting La Purisima Mission

• Ticket Price: $6 per car good for one day admission
• Self-guided tours from 9AM – 5 PM everyday except Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day. There were plenty of signs with room descriptions.
• Free 60-90 minute Guided tours offered everyday at 11:00 AM and at 1:00 PM on Saturdays.
• Time your visits for the interesting living history events showing Mission life by visiting the Events page.
• There’s a modern Visitor’s Center by the parking lot for restroom breaks and to see the mission’s restoration.
• Wear comfortable, walking shoes since you’ll be walking around a lot.  This place is huge.
• Plenty of hiking and running trails with poison oak warnings. Get a map at the Visitor’s Center.
• Ghost tours available. This is considered one of the most haunted places in the state.
• Have a picnic on the grounds. Bring your own food and water since there are no stores on the grounds.
• Visit the Mission La Purisima website for more information.

*Have you visited any of the California Missions or Mission La Purisima?  

Related Posts:

• Mission Santa Barbara
• Mission San Juan Capistrano
• Mission San Luis Rey

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