Reviving the Past: Experience Mission Life Days at La Purisima in 1800s California

Hosted on the expansive, 2,000-acre historic site, the event took place under warm, sunny skies, featuring costumed docents and staff demonstrating essential daily duties that once sustained the mission community.

Activities included tortilla making, candle dipping, soap crafting, spinning and weaving, carpentry, pottery and blacksmithing.

Guests were invited to observe and participate in select stations, engaging directly with the skills that would have supported residents in the 1820s.

Founded in 1787, La Purisima was the 11th of California’s 21 missions, established during the Spanish colonial period. After being destroyed by a powerful earthquake in 1812, the mission was fully rebuilt, and today stands as the most completely restored mission in the state. It offers visitors a rare look at a working mission complex, complete with original-style structures, living quarters and agricultural outbuildings.

Mission Life Days is held on select Saturdays throughout the year, and typically once a month during the summer months, aiming to educate the public.