California missions spotlight: How a flogging at Mission Santa Inés triggered a legendary rebellion
Santa Inés Virgen y Mártir, Solvang
19th mission
1804
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This was a smallish mission, with a population that never reached 1,000. The church building dates to 1817. The largest Native American uprising of the mission era was touched off here in 1824 when a Mexican soldier flogged a neophyte (as the padres called baptized converts and laborers) who was visiting from La Purísima Concepcion mission in Lompoc. Before Spanish troops put down the rebellion, the mission buildings were burned, armed neophytes had seized control of La Purísima and hundreds of Chumash had fled to Santa Cruz Island and elsewhere. The museum includes a collection of vestments from the 17th to 20th centuries and a large, colorful painting of archangel Raphael by a neophyte (name unknown), a rarity among the missions.
Nearby: You’re in the heart of wine country; tour the tasting rooms in Los Olivos. Browse the Danish-flavored shops of Solvang. Or take a look at the Chumash Casino Resort (www.chumashcasino.com) in Santa Ynez. The resort, opened in 1994 by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, employs about 1,600 people.
Info: 1760 Mission Drive, Solvang; (805) 688-4815, https://www.missionsantaines.org. Driving distance from Los Angeles City Hall: 134 miles northwest.
From the archives:
In 1947, The Times covered a restoration of the Santa Inés Mission.
In 2008, The Times reported on class-assignment visits to four missions, including Santa Inés.
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