Products of Mission San José (California)

Agricultural and Craft Output of a Spanish Mission

Mission San José (founded 1797, Fremont, CA) was a productive agricultural enterprise:

• Crops: Wheat, corn, beans, barley, peas, grapes (wine, brandy), olives (oil), figs, pears, vegetables.
• Livestock: Thousands of cattle (hides, tallow, beef), sheep (wool), horses, mules, oxen.
• Manufactured Goods: Leather goods (saddles, shoes), wool textiles, soap, candles, adobe bricks, tiles, ironwork (blacksmith).
• Religious Items: Altar candles, vestments, statuary.

Products sustained the mission community (neophytes, soldiers, priests) and were traded to presidios, pueblos, and ships for tools, cloth, luxury goods. The mission's ranchos extended over 100,000 acres.