Missions were developed to be self-sufficient and profitable. They were designed to become the starting point for the towns that would follow. To do that, missions were designed to instruct the local native people in trades. Spain saw it essential for the Native Americans to become 'civilized.' So the missions raised livestock and crops as they built the missions. These three skills were unknown to the native people. The taught how to build buildings. Growing crops not only gave the missions necessary food, but taught another new skill. Same with raising livestock, it taught the indians how to make soap, candles and leatherwork like shoes. Same with sheep, it created jobs in weaving. Cloth was unknown to the native tribes. The Catholic Father's main concern was saving souls through baptism. But they also became an educational means of instructing Native Americans in the skills that Spain required to be able to colonize Alta California.
That was the main purpose. Conversion of natives. It was a good stop for travelong military and eventually became a parish.
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