Native American - LIT TIME TRAVEL

Posted on October 23, 2025October 23, 2025 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Santa Clara University’s de Saisset Museum (Feat. Mission Bell)

Previously in my post on Mission Santa Clara, I had briefly mentioned the de Saisset Museum. I made a trip to the Museum to look at the fourth bell of the Mission displayed inside, only to find that it was closed during the summer. So, I ventured again this fall.

Here’s everything I saw at Santa Clara University’s de Saisset Museum, including the Mission bell!

de Saisset Museum

It just happened to rain that morning but that didn’t stop me from getting to the de Saisset Museum again. Actually, it was nice to revisit the lovely SCU campus on a rainy day for a change.

There must have been an event recently, because the campus was prettier than usual with string lights here and there:

When I got to the campus museum, it was open but nobody else was there. I think it’s because I visited on a weekday at 10 AM.

Entrance to the de Saisset Art Gallery and Museum.

FYI, admission is free! As for the hours, they vary depending on what time of the year you visit, so be sure to check their website: https://www.scu.edu/desaisset/about/visit/hours/

Inside de Saisset

Once I entered the museum, I found myself standing in an empty yet aesthetically arranged space with minty walls:

To the left was some auditorium (for events, maybe?) and to the right was an exhibit being prepared, I thought. It seemed to be about Mission Santa Clara and the other Spanish missions in California, with their photographs, drawings, and blueprints on the walls:

Turns out it was actually an exhibit currently on view! Called Californiana, this exhibit by a Puerto-Rican interdisciplinary artist named Monica Rodriguez is a “site-specific contemporary installation focused on the period of missionization (1769 – 1833) in present-day California, exploring the enduring impact of this history, which continues to exert its influence on the people, land, and culture of California” (Santa Clara University).

To learn more about the artist Monica Rodriguez and her exhibit, visit: https://www.scu.edu/desaisset/exhibitions/californiana/

I didn’t realize when I was there, but the plants on display are all native to California. And they are in 21 bell-shaped pots made of adobe, with “their placement approximat[ing] the location of missions on a typical regional map” (Santa Clara University):

It’s such an aesthetic, meaningful exhibit combining historical records and artifacts with contemporary art featuring materials like plants and adobe. Brilliant! 👏👏👏

California Stories from Thámien to Santa Clara

Now, the exhibit I came for was the permanent exhibit called, California Stories from Thámien to Santa Clara. Ongoing since January 2020, this is the exhibit that features the fourth bell of Mission Santa Clara. It’s located downstairs, as indicated by this nice feather wall art:

I had planned to take a quick look at the fourth Mission bell and leave; I did not expect the permanent exhibit to be a flood of great historical artifacts and info!

Entrance to the ongoing exhibit: *California Stories from Thámien to Santa Clara*.

The exhibit was a series of rooms filled with historical artifacts, records, and explanatory notes. The way everything was presented, with the glass displays, annotations, wall arts and replicas, was superb! Here’s what I mean:

Beginning with the Ohlone Native Americans, the exhibit covered the entirety of Mission Santa Clara’s history, including the Missions Era, Secularization Period, Rancho Era, Gold Rush, and the founding of Santa Clara University.

The Mission Bell

The fourth bell of Mission Santa Clara was displayed in the “Alta California Missions” section. It was so neat to look at a mission bell so up close:

The replacement (fourth) bell that King Alfonso XIII donated in 1929.

There were inscriptions on the bell, which I think translate to something along the lines of: “Gifted by the King of Spain Alfonso XIII to Santa Clara.” To read more about the mission bells, check out this post on Facebook, with texts and old photos from the Santa Clara University Library: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1397504040464877/posts/2200012950213978/

Along with the mission bell, other items from the Missions Era were displayed, too:

Of the many religious artifacts, I have to say the ones that thrilled me the most were the ones associated with Magín Catalá. (He was the Spanish Franciscan missionary who truly lived as a servant of Christ, serving and loving those around him at Mission Santa Clara. To learn more, check out my blog post on the Mission HERE.)

Framed signature of Magín Catalá, c. 1800.

6. Catalá’s rosary 7. Fragment from Catalá’s habit

I really appreciated how organized the display was, with each item and annotation numbered. Plus, this map of the different sites of Mission Santa Clara was really nice to view, too:

Interactive Commemorative Wall

Aside from the flood of great historical artifacts and information (all organized so well!), what amazed me was the interactive commemorative wall at the exhibit’s exit.

It was such a meaningful, thoughtful gesture honoring the Native Americans who had built and lived in the Mission, whose stories aren’t told as widely as the Spanish explorers and missionaries.

Seeing the different names of the actual Native Americans and reading about some of them really brought their stories to life. They weren’t just “Native Americans” or the “neophyte population”: they were actual individuals who came before us, with families, aspirations, and unique stories.

You can also press different buttons on the screen to learn about the various jobs Native Americans had at the Mission, the Mission’s relationship with other missions (e.g. Mission San José), and more.

I have nothing but applause for the California Stories from Thámien to Santa Clara exhibit. From start to finish, it was a literal journey through history!

Conclusion

The de Saisset Museum is a must-see for those visiting Mission Santa Clara. With all its historical artifacts, records, paintings and displays, it’s a true treasure trove for historians. The perfect complement to a self-guided tour of the Mission, it’s a cherry on top for those who want to learn more about the stories of its inhabitants through the ages.

P.S. Opening its doors in 1955, the de Saisset Museum is named after Ernest de Saisset, son of one of the richest families in San Jose back in the mid to late 19th century. He was also a student at SCU, called Santa Clara College back then, and an aspiring artist who sadly passed away when he was only 35. His younger sister, Isabel, left a bequest that led to the de Saisset Museum.

Left: Isabel de Saisset (1876-1950), painted by her brother Ernest, c. late 19th century.
Right: Ernest de Saisset (1864-1899), self-portrait c. late 19th century.

P.P.S. Lastly but not least, here are more aesthetic photos!

Posted on May 10, 2025September 30, 2025 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Mission Dolores: A Lovely Chapel of History at the Heart of SF❤️

California missions hold a special place in my heart. I think it’s because I love history so much, to the point of majoring in it in college, that structures dating back to early Californian history mesmerize me so. And because I grew up near one, I have this unfounded affinity towards California’s twenty-one missions.

I remember first reading about them in a history textbook back when I was in elementary school. Then shortly after, when I was in fifth grade, I believe, I got to visit Mission San Juan Capistrano on a field trip. It was such a treat to step foot on the historical site. Reading about the place and then seeing remnants of where Native Americans and Spanish missionaries had once lived blew me away: it was like history coming alive.

After years of mostly focusing on visiting the best coffee spots and bakeries of the Bay, it occurred to me that I hadn’t visited any of its missions. And so, I finally embarked on a journey to Misión San Francisco de Asís, aka Mission Dolores.

⛪Getting to Mission Dolores

To get to Mission Dolores from Berkeley, I rode BART and then MUNI to get to Mission Dolores Park. (As someone who has traveled in San Francisco for some time now, I recommend avoiding the BART stations near Mission Dolores and instead using MUNI or the bus to get to the Park or the Mission directly.)

The gorgeous structure (shown below) right next to the Park was not Mission Dolores; it was a high school named after the Mission.

After a few minutes’ walk, I arrived at the intersection of 16^th and Dolores Streets:

When I first saw the structures before me, I had thought that the beautifully-carved beige building was the Mission itself. But I soon discovered that the smaller chapel on the left was the actual Mission founded in 1776 (year of the Declaration of Independence!) and the ostentatious structure on the right was the “Mission Dolores Basilica” that was built much later in 1918 after the 1906 earthquake.

I arrived at 10 AM sharp to explore the sixth Californian mission established under Father Junipero Serra. (The mission is open every day, from 10 AM to 4 PM, EXCEPT for Mondays!) And as announced, the entrance door opened exactly at 10.

For an admission fee of $10 (1 adult), I got to enter through the gift shop to the chapel, view the sanctuary, go out to the area right next to the basilica, through a small museum, out to the cemetery, and then arrive back at the gift shop.

Update 8/27/2025: When I visited another morning (to purchase my Missions Passport), I got to hear the church bells ring!

Update 9/30/2025: But I was told that the bells are supposed to ring only during Mass times. So if you want to hear them ring, visit when Masses are scheduled!

⛪Inside the Historical Chapel

Mission Dolores was a small but lovely chapel, with historical facts about the building, the Spanish missionaries, and the Native Americans placed here and there along with a replica of what it would have looked like back around 1791.

This diorama, displayed in the Mission today, was created for the 1939 World’s Fair on Treasure Island.

What’s noteworthy about Mission Dolores is that it’s the oldest intact building in San Francisco! And it’s the only intact Mission Chapel of the 21 missions created under the direction of Father Junipero Serra.

According to the official pamphlet that was given out, the building still has its original redwood logs, held together with rawhide, supporting the roof.

The informational pamphlet I received after purchasing my admission ticket.

The repainted ceilings of “original Ohlone Indian designs done with vegetable dyes”:

The reredos (decorative altars) and the side altars were all crafted in Mexico, arriving in 1796 and then in 1810.

Side altars on the left and right of the sanctuary.

⛪Museum & Cemetery

Past the chapel, the diorama, basilica, and covered walkway is a one-room museum that used to be a classroom. There were historical artifacts like clothing and items of the Ohlone Indians and Spanish missionaries inside glass displays.

“An original iron key that opened the large doors of Mission Dolores.”

Once you exit the little museum, you get to the cemetery. In the middle stands a statue of Junipero Serra sculpted by Arthur Putnam, the famous Californian sculptor. The cemetery is also a garden, with roses gifted by the Golden Gate Rose Society growing here and there along with “traditional native trees, shrubs, flowers, and plants from the 1791 period” (Official Mission Dolores Website).

Also, the cemetery has an “Ohlone Indian ethno-botanic garden and examples of Native American plants and artifacts.” I think the biggest said Native American artifact in the garden is the hut behind the statue.

It was mind-blowing to think that the thousands of Ohlone, Miwok, and other First Californians who built and founded the Mission were resting underneath the very grounds I was walking around.

You leave the cemetery/garden by going back into the gift shop, through which you exit the Mission.

⛪Gift Shop

Inside the gift shop, there seemed to be more gifts for practicing Catholics (like rosaries and portraits of different saints) than items for tourists.

Some of the more general items for tourists included magnets, postcards, and these beautiful California Missions tiles:

I ended up getting the following to commemorate my visit to Mission Dolores:

Poster and mini photo booklet showing the 21 California missions plus a “Mission Dolores” magnet. PERFECT for history lovers!

Update 8/27/2025: I didn’t know when I first visited Mission Dolores, but this mission is one of the 10 missions where you can purchase your California Missions Passport. What’s a “California Missions Passport”? HERE is everything you need to know!)

You can’t get it at the other 11, so I highly suggest that you get it while you’re visiting Mission Dolores if you’re interested!

⛪Conclusion: So Worth a Visit!

Mission San Francisco de Asis was a nice historical site to visit – I’d recommend it to anyone who hasn’t been there yet. As a history buff, I’d drop by again and definitely check out the interior of the basilica that I couldn’t view properly. But there were a few things that could be improved. Some of them are…

bigger pamphlet with more information and photos,
maybe an interactive media or slideshow inside the museum,
and lastly but certainly not least, a better restroom for tourists! The restroom at the Mission were blue, plastic containers out in the parking lot. 🙁

But considering the fact that the Mission “receives no public funds” and “rely completely on…voluntary offerings,” it’s completely understandable. Plus, taking that fact into consideration, the Mission is in great shape and doing a great job promoting its history.

P.S. There are loads of great bakeries and coffee spots nearby the Mission. Some of my personal favorites are Tartine Bakery, Craftsman and Wolves, and Stonemill Matcha, which all deserve their own appreciation posts!

P.P.S. Here are some more aesthetic photos of Mission Dolores! ⛪❤️