Natives, Missionaries, and the Birth of Catholicism in Los Angeles
DESCRIPTION of EXHIBITION:
Launched in 2023, this redesigned exhibition is the culmination of multi-year efforts to engage Native consultants and a range of experts in the research, interpretation, conservation, and presentation of the history of Mission San Gabriel. Museum visitors will experience visual reproductions of artwork and historical documents as well as infographics and audio components that highlight the importance of Native and Spanish colonial history in the San Gabriel Valley.
The exhibition includes a contemporary reading of the interrogation and testimony of Toypurina, a Native woman arrested and jailed during an attempted 1785 Native rebellion at the mission, 18th-century music composed for the California missions, as well as a recording of Andrew Morales, a member of Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, pronouncing words recorded in what is the earliest vocabulary of one of the Native languages spoken at Mission San Gabriel.
LA2026 Humanities Discussions at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
Historical Memory, Federal Agencies, Mission Conservation
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
429 S. Junipero Serra Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Time: 10:00 am (PT)
A conversation with Yve Chavez (Associate Professor of Art History, University of Oklahoma) and Sarah Montoya (Co-Director, Indigenous Humanities Lab, Virginia Commonwealth University), moderated by Julia Lewandoski (Assistant Professor of History, University of California, San Diego).
“Music and Voices of Early California” at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
429 S. Junipero Serra Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (PT)
A performance and in-person discussion of early modern music by Adam Knight Gilbert (Director of Early Music Program and Chair of Musicology, Thornton School of Music, USC), moderated by Steven Hackel (Professor History, University of California, Riverside). The conversation with focus on music and the themes in the exhibition at the Mission San Gabriel museum.
Musical research presentations by members of the USC Thornton Baroque Sinfonia: Adam Knight Gilbert, Rotem Gilbert, Nicole Young, Alana Mailes, Katelyn Hsu, Cameron Schubert, Fernanda Olmedo-Espinoza, Hugo Thomas, Jason Yoshida, and Erin Young.
LA2026 Humanities Discussion at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
Fall 2026
Online event
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
An online discussion with humanities scholars and community leaders on the themes in the exhibition at the Mission San Gabriel museum. More details are coming soon!
Learn more about the items in the exhibition
