Mission San Juan Capistrano

I took a drive up to San Juan Capistrano on Saturday morning. It's about an hour's drive north, and the main thing to see is the old Mission. The Mission was founded in 1776 - by 1806 it had over 1,000 inhabitants and over 10,000 head of cattle. 

One of my favorite parts of the Mission is the large central courtyard, which has lots of trees and a large fountain in the center with some great koi. The is a nice shady interior portico that goes almost all the way around the outer perimeter of the courtyard.

The roses in the center of the courtyard are particularly nice this time of year.

The Great Stone Church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1812, and has never been rebuilt. From what is left standing it must have been an impressive structure in its day.

There is still a small chapel that is in use today.

Click here to more images from the Mission San Juan Capistrano on Saturday, June 18, 2011.