Secularization
The Zacatecan period lasted a brief two years. After Mexico won its independence from Spain, it could not afford to keep the missions running as Spain had done, and in 1834, Mexico decided to end the system and sell all of the lands. In 1835, under the secularization act, San Juan Bautista Mission was reduced to a curacy of the second class, under a civil administrator, and its assets sold.
The history after secularization is happier than at some of the other missions. The people continued to support the church, and services have been held here without interruption.
After secularization, San Juan Bautista became a pueblo. The mission property was inventoried in 1845 by Pio Pico's brother Andres, who listed at a parish house of 16 rooms made of adobe with brick tile and packed clay floors and tile roofs. The garden to the north of the complex and an orchard of 875 fruit trees were surrounded by a wall constructed of old cattle bones. The abandoned vineyard still held 1,200 vines. Total land at that time consisted of 7,500 square varas. A small settlement of whites grew up in the pueblo and there were some 50 inhabitants in the town of San Juan by the end of 1839.
Nearly 30 years after secularization, the missions were returned to the Catholic Church. When title was restored to the church, its lands comprised 55.13 acres.
The Barrel Organ
The crank-operated English barrel organ is a source of many stories and legends. It made its way here from Monterey sometime in the late 1820s. It most probably was given to Father Lasuen by the British explorer Vancouver. The organ was made in London and is over 5 feet tall, two feet wide and 18 inches deep. Inside are 17 wooden pipes and 29 metal pipes which sound when the crank is turned. A number of legends grew around this organ, one of which gave it unusual powers and linked it with the mission's founding.
The organ is an odd thing to have in a church, though. Its tunes are reported to include "Go to the Devil, Spanish Waltz, College Hornpipe, and Lady Campbell's Reel.", tunes better known by rowdy sailors than pious fathers.
The most interesting story about the barrel organ is reported in Sunset Magazine's The California Missions: A Pictorial History: "Of the many stories concerning this barrel organ, one of the best shows its almost hypnotic power over the child-like savages. A tribe of warring Tulare Indians swooped down on the mission one day, and the neophytes ran for cover. Fortunately the padre kept his wits. He lugged out the hand-organ and began cranking. The neophytes caught on and began to sing with the music at the top of their voices, with the result that their foes were so entranced that they lay down their weapons and demanded more music, even asking to stay so they could enjoy it all the time."
San Juan Bautista Mission in the 20th Century
Today there are modern buildings at the back of the garden. The old monastery wing, with its arches facing the only remaining Spanish plaza in California, houses a museum. Hidden steel beams give earthquake protection, the bell wall has been completed, and the side aisles restored.
San Juan Bautista Mission is seen in Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo. Fans of the movie may notice that the bell tower, featured in two dramatic scenes in the movie, does not exist.
