Please don’t take this with a grain of salt. This is what it is. A beautiful, lovely, much more positively spirited place these day… but …. 100% — it is a horrible site of misrepresented history. I have added one photo to demonstrate just 1 example of the absolute nonsense and literal - missed moment of reading comprehension & inference from the primary documentation, in their wildly fantastical museum of the mission’s history.

Of course, come and see this extraordinary living memory of Californian, Spanish, Mexican and most importantly, Indigenous peoples’ history. I added more photos of its glory because it is a wonderful place for contemplation of nature, the world, peace, life and death; perhaps even your higher power. Just keep your reality lens on because this mission is rewriting your experiencing into distortion.

There was only one singular aspect or moment of apology for the ancestors who suffered. Note the memorial in one picture. Even the gift shop made no small effort to give all, most or some, proceeds to reparations.

Me: I accidentally bumped into this mission, on my birthday road trip to see a lighthouse, in real life. I was heading to Mission nature not connecting the word to the historical collection of missions! I have always wanted to go to a mission, since missing the 4th grade trip & did not hike, but instead took advantage of $13 admission cash or card, with apple parking. — — — I expected historically profitable, potentially overly giving to the idea of the fathers and religious leadership nuances throughout the factual information, maybe more academic, less-emotionally connected language to abuse of the local populations of “ ‘Indians‘ “, maybe some outdated contexts or opportunities for improved diction, but…not, an entire fabrication without even a true honoring of the REAL, reason any of these mission’s thrived— colonization, exploration and slavery, imprisonment, forced assimilation , with Catholicism in this case, the backdrop for why… this treatment of another living (sentient) being, was justified.

I have to leave two stars though my visit was impactful, humbling and poignant— — I have a world history degree & I came to the table with with maybe more useful prior knowledge to know from jump, this place’s tagline includes also, graveyard, prison, western hegemony….along with the beautifully restoredand curated visual elements— majority of tourists/followers of Christ/Eurocentric visitors, will not come with this perspective and should have every right to leave with an accurate understanding of “the way it was”.

The review must reflect the negative long-lasting impact these inaccurate monuments have on our social, emotional and economic relationship to the past & capacity for a better world today, in the very next moment.

Lastly, I beseech those responsible for the upkeep to change this on your own proactively, and especially if personally (like I am) concerned with defending this current profiteering madhouse of learning and religion before God 🌍🕊♻️💕

🆘Those with impressionable group trips🆘 *This is a non-secular field trip due to the dandified recollection and retelling of history. Public schools should take note before scheduling new trips**4/22/23 was my visit date. This is an socially/emotional unsafe, school field trip, and as a teacher, if I had accidentally taken students with me on this, my first time to the mission, I would have had to ask them to stop reading any signage for my job safety, & good-conscience.