▁res ett lement , ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁Spanish ▁ ▁" redu ced " ▁them ▁from ▁what ▁they ▁perce ived ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁free ▁" und is cipl ined '" ▁state ▁with ▁the ▁amb ition ▁of ▁converting ▁them ▁into ▁" c ivil ized " ▁members ▁of ▁colonial ▁society . ▁The ▁civil ized ▁and ▁discipl ined ▁culture ▁of ▁the ▁n atives , ▁developed ▁over ▁ 8 , 0 0 0 ▁years , ▁was ▁not ▁considered . ▁A ▁total ▁of ▁ 1 4 6 ▁Fri ars ▁Minor , ▁mostly ▁Sp ani ards ▁by ▁birth , ▁were ▁ord ained ▁as ▁pri ests ▁and ▁served ▁in ▁California ▁between ▁ 1 7 6 9 ▁and ▁ 1 8 4 5 . ▁Si xty - se ven ▁mission aries ▁died ▁at ▁their ▁posts ▁( two ▁as ▁mart y rs : ▁Pad res ▁Luis ▁Jay me ▁and ▁And rés ▁Quint ana ), ▁while ▁the ▁remainder ▁returned ▁to ▁Europe ▁due ▁to ▁ill ness , ▁or ▁upon ▁comple ting ▁their ▁ten - year ▁service ▁commit ment . ▁As ▁the ▁rules ▁of ▁the ▁Francis can ▁Order ▁forb ade ▁fri ars ▁to ▁live ▁alone , ▁two ▁mission aries ▁were ▁assigned ▁to ▁each ▁settlement , ▁se quest ered ▁in ▁the ▁mission ' s ▁convent o . ▁To ▁these ▁the ▁governor ▁assigned ▁a ▁guard ▁of ▁five ▁or ▁six ▁soldiers ▁under ▁the ▁command ▁of ▁a ▁corpor al , ▁who ▁generally ▁acted ▁as ▁ste ward ▁of ▁the ▁mission ' s ▁temporal ▁affairs , ▁subject ▁to ▁the ▁pri ests ' ▁direction . ▁ ▁Indians ▁were ▁initially ▁attract ed ▁into ▁the