Emily Jung Miller

Old Mission Santa Barbara was established on the Feast of St. Barbara, December 4, 1786. It was the tenth of the 21 California Missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans. The current church building at Mission Santa Barbara was built with local sandstone between 1812 and 1820, constructed primarily by Native Chumash labor. Mission Santa Barbara is one of only three stone Mission churches, and the only Mission to have two identical bell towers.

Mission Santa Barbara sits on the unceded lands of the Chumash Indians. The Chumash tribe populated much of California’s coastline, including the area of Santa Barbara. The area was first settled at least 13,000 years ago. Before the Mission Period, the Chumash lived in 150 independent towns and villages with a total population of at least 25,000 people.

The Chumash were skilled artisans, hunters, gatherers, and seafarers. The mission maintained an economy that was based heavily on labor done by the Chumash.

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