Schedule

• Everyday life in the Franciscan missions was regulated and busy for every resident, from the priests and the Spanish soldiers to the neophytes. Everyone woke at sunrise for the Holy Mass and a meal, usually of warm cereal. After a morning of labor, the midday prayers were said. Then everyone ate the noon meal, which was typically a thick hearty soup called "pozole." The afternoons were devoted to more labor, and usually included an afternoon devotional service. A large meal and an evening prayer service, or vespers, would end the day.
  
  

Work

• Everyone at the mission had some task or responsibility. The priests would usually oversee the work of the mission, with a busy day encompassing everything from visiting the sick to hauling stones, from saying Mass to sowing grain, from overseeing trade negotiations to teaching catechism. The neophytes were equally busy, but usually with more specific tasks, such as making bricks from adobe or laying roof tiles. Most men worked tilling fields, constructing buildings, caring for livestock, or practicing a handicraft, such as tanning, woodworking, blacksmithing, candle making and wine making. Women labored as hard with weaving, sewing, washing, cooking and cleaning.
  
  

Provision

• Most missions engaged in trade as a means of providing for the mission community. One of the missions' most popular products was the "Yankee Dollar," a cattle hide that was dried and then crafted into shoes. Other important trade items were wine, grain and leatherwork. The missions grew fruit, such as apples and pears, and a range of crops, including wheat, peas, corn, beans and barley. The mission community also usually had large herds of horses, cattle, sheep, hogs and goats. All members of the community lived in the 20 or so buildings at the mission, with the neophytes occupying small, one-story dwellings on the grounds.
  
  

Leisure

• The priests sought to ease the busy, monotonous routine of mission life by celebrating liturgical feasts, fiestas and other holidays with some frequency. These celebrations were often elaborate, featuring processions, games and banquets. On the rare occasions of free time, the neophytes went hunting and fishing or competed in field games. A popular game of sticks called "wauri" would sometimes inspire betting among adults. The neophytes enjoyed music as well, quickly learning how to sing with and to play the wind and string instruments of the priests. Every five weeks, the neophytes could also return to their villages for a two-week visit.
  
  

Childhood

• Children in the mission community received extensive instruction in Spanish and Catholicism, as did the adult neophytes, and they were often taught basic skills in reading, writing and administrative tasks. Once children were old enough to work, they learned trades, such as brick making, farming and weaving, and worked alongside their parents and other adults. Children played games with sticks and balls, as well as games similar to tag and hide and seek. Women sought to help children stay connected with their Native American heritage by frequently taking them on visits to their home villages.