Native American Population at Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, founded in **1772** as the 5th of California's 21 Franciscan missions, saw significant demographic shifts among the local **Chumash** and **Salinan** peoples.

Population Estimates

• Pre-Mission (1772): The surrounding area's Native population was estimated at **~1,000 individuals**.
• Peak Mission Population (1803): Records indicate a neophyte (baptized Native) population of **over 1,500** residing at the mission complex. This included Chumash from the coast and valleys, and Salinan from the interior.
• Decline: As with all California missions, **European diseases (measles, smallpox, syphilis), dietary change, harsh labor, and cultural disruption** caused catastrophic mortality. Birth rates plummeted.

Secularization & Aftermath

The mission was **secularized in 1834** by the Mexican government. Lands were granted to private rancheros (often via questionable claims), and the remaining Native population was displaced or absorbed into the rancho labor system. By the 1840s, the mission community had largely dissolved.

Today, the mission church is an active parish, and the **Chumash and Salinan descendants** continue cultural revitalization efforts in the region.