Except for the nearby adobe building, very little is left of Mission Santa Cruz. There is no convent and all the buildings of the quadrangle are gone. The Mission church is a replica of the 1795 church but is much smaller. Plan for a quick visit.
There were a number of reasons why Fr. Lasuén decided to start a mission here: proximity to local Indians and the San Lorenzo river, good crop land, good cattle grazing areas, close to the coast, wood for buildings, etc. However, things didn’t go well -to say the least.
This was known as the “bad luck Mission” because things went wrong all the time. Buildings were destroyed by rain, floods and earthquakes. Native people burned the buildings, many workers died of diseases, a priest was murdered and so on.
The only remaining mission building that still stands is the 1824 adobe building a block away from the mission church. It was originally built to house Mission workers, and now it is a museum which displays how the building was used over time.
The adobe building is now the main feature of Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park. There are 7 rooms and this room depicts Ohlone life prior to the Spanish occupation. Very few Mission workers lived here. Most lived in traditional tule houses.
Another museum room shows how high ranking neophyte members lived. This room functioned as the bedroom, kitchen and living room. Items displayed here are both Spanish and Ohlone.
The Holy Cross Catholic Church was built in 1889 on the site of the original Mission adobe church. 100 years later, this church would be damaged by an earthquake as well. The very tall gothic church is a quite a contrast with the Mission.
Alta California Missions 