Summary: The Role Of The Mission Presidio System

The Role of the Mission-Presidio System in the Early Development of California

Characterized by several stages of development, the modern state of California witnessed a myriad of hurdles during the period of Spanish and Mexico invasion. The predicaments faced by the Native Americans are seen to have accelerated with the intrusion of the Spanish rule and its exercise of colonial power over the Mission Indians. Although the native dwellers of California did not a lead a politically stable life before its colonization, Mission Indians enjoyed a period of social stability with strength in local governance. The onset of the Spanish and Mexico rule saw the opening up of the state to more immigrants and imperialist through routes that were created

by the Spanish (Morgan & McNamee). The Spanish, who set their feet first in the land of California, were determined to have an absolute monopoly of the state by whichever means possible. However, resistance from the natives was guaranteed since their plans and way of doing things were total imperialism.
Masquerading as padres, the Spanish and Mexico won the hearts of several indigenous people of California (Morgan & McNamee).

Since resistance was much expected from the locals, the Spanish and Mexico imperialists devised the use of presidios so that they would be safer from all manners of coldhearted rejection they would face from the natives. The Presidio system would, therefore, enable them to survive the unfriendly environment in which they were to earn a living through exploitation of resources, both natural and human power. The system involved the mounting of protected forts across their area of control, from where they would execute all their plans before embarking on a ground

mission.
The use presidio mission system was salient in keeping off enemies (Williams 27). During the period of the Spanish invasion of California, many states from Europe and other continents had a propensity to scramble for domination of other states outside their legal territories. The rise in colonialism among the perceived civilized states led to conflict amongst themselves and the fight for overseeing territories. For instance, Spanish had not developed an interest in California until it noted that Russia’s influence and fight for domination had surpassed their imaginations. At this time, Spanish realized that a few Russians had been spotted in San Francisco. In fear of domination of California by the Russians, Spanish hurriedly moved into the state and set up a mission to rule and subject the natives to monopolistic hegemony (Morgan & McNamee). Therefore, it was judicious for the Spanish to use the Presidio system at this time in fear that Russians would come and invade them in their colony. Additionally, just like any other person in a foreign land, the fear that the imperialists had in a foreign land would always have sent a chill down their spine in the event of an impromptu ambush. Therefore, in preparation for such normal events, the role of the Presidio would be to prevent attacks by enemies.
The role of the Presidio system by the Spanish and Mexico imperialist was to enhance the process of Christianization (Williams 32). The Native Americans in the state of California by this time had not been exposed to the concept of Christianity. The people practised their own religious beliefs and were therefore referred as uncivilized by the Spanish and the Mexico tyrannical leaders. In order to transform them to Christians and make them believe that Christianity was the best deal of seeing the Messiah, the duo rulers had to use the Presidio as a fortress from where the organization of how the conversion was to be done was planned. Similarly, local members who collaborated either through goodwill or enticement would also be summoned into the Presidio so that the Spanish would tame rejection and hostility of the Native Americans. However, perpetual hostility from the people and clashes between the natives and the duo invaders impeded the smooth transformation of the people to Christianity (Williams 25). This is because the locals argued that Christianity was among the many political gimmicks that the duo employed in their quest for power and domination of many territories. Therefore, the people remained in resistance while the duo forced their tyrannical rule down their throats.
In totality, a presidio was designed to protect a mission (Williams 27). A mission, during the period of Spanish and Mexican rule in California, referred to a settlement that was set up in an Indian territory. Characterized by many settlements as a result of the creation of entry routes by the Spanish rule, California had been turned into a settlement land where immigrants from the two states had flocked in for the purposes of strengthening their rule and exploitation of resources and labour (Morgan & McNamee). Some of the settlements by the immigrants were located in areas where the locals performed their agricultural practices, and even where they lived. The settlements curtailed the lands of the natives with some Americans losing their arable lands to the settlers. In defence of their lands, the natives grew resistant to the rule of the duo by attacking settlers and continuous retaliatory conflicts in a bid to get their land back. Therefore, the Presidio system was phenomenal in protecting the several missions that went on in California.
The mission-presidio system offered safety from hostile Mission Indian (Williams 30).

Upon the introduction of Christianity to the natives in California, Spanish and Mexican Padres hoped to mitigate the hostility of some unwelcoming Mission Indians. The concept of the bible and the life that Christians were supposed to lead was deliberate as taught, with the hope that the teachings would change the seemingly bestial characters of the native Americans. However, despite having a population that heeded the teachings, a considerable number of natives led the protest and vengeful attacks against the Spanish rule. Similarly, in the vent that the duo imperialists attacked the natives, all members of the Mission Indian community would gang up and resist, or even conduct a manhunt for the killers (Williams 28). Such rebellion was dire and therefore, the rulers had to design a fortress in which they would hide from the perceived vehemence of the oppressed. The Presidio was used to hide key figures who were hunted by the locals after committing heinous or unaccepted actions against their will. Similarly, it was a fortress in which all members of the ruling outfit hide and planned attacks on organized groups of locals who were perceived to be revolutionary and defying or mobilizing locals to defy the imperialist’s

rule.
The mission-presidio system was responsible for ensuring control of the Mission Indians and preventing their escape from missions. The Presidio system aided the soldiers in ensuring that no local ran away from the labour (Williams 29). Similarly, the system made sure that soldiers were mobilized to recover any Indian who ran away from the set missions. Therefore, the mission-presidio system ensured that missions ran effectively with the help of Indians as labourers and that in the event that they ran away, the soldiers would easily catch them. Therefore, the mission-presidio was a clever and calculated scheme by the Spanish and the Mexicans in ensuring total manipulation of the Mission Indians as the natives of California.
In conclusion, it is seen that the mission-presidio system was a method that was applied by the Spanish and the Mexicans in developing the state of California into a colony. The system was aimed at ensuring control of the locals through the spread of Christianity and efforts to convert them so that they would pay allegiance to them as their religious leaders. Similarly, the system ensured safety for soldiers and different members of the missions.