▁attempt ▁was ▁made ▁to ▁collect ▁the ▁w ages ▁for ▁these ▁services ▁after ▁ 1 7 9 0 . ▁It ▁is ▁recorded ▁that ▁the ▁ne oph y tes ▁performed ▁the ▁work ▁" under ▁un mit ig ated ▁comp ulsion ." ▁ ▁In ▁recent ▁years , ▁much ▁debate ▁has ▁ar isen ▁about ▁the ▁pri ests ' ▁treatment ▁of ▁the ▁Indians ▁during ▁the ▁Mission ▁period , ▁and ▁many ▁believe ▁that ▁the ▁California ▁mission ▁system ▁is ▁directly ▁responsible ▁for ▁the ▁decl ine ▁of ▁the ▁native ▁cult ures . ▁From ▁the ▁perspective ▁of ▁the ▁Spanish ▁priest , ▁their ▁efforts ▁were ▁a ▁well - mean ing ▁attempt ▁to ▁improve ▁the ▁lives ▁of ▁the ▁he ath en ▁n atives . ▁ ▁Mission ▁indust ries ▁▁ ▁The ▁goal ▁of ▁the ▁miss ions ▁was , ▁above ▁all , ▁to ▁become ▁self - su fficient ▁in ▁relatively ▁short ▁order . ▁Farm ing , ▁therefore , ▁was ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁industry ▁of ▁any ▁mission . ▁Bar ley , ▁ma ize , ▁and ▁whe at ▁were ▁among ▁the ▁most ▁common ▁cro ps ▁grown . ▁C ere al ▁gra ins ▁were ▁d ried ▁and ▁ground ▁by ▁stone ▁into ▁fl our . ▁Even ▁today , ▁California ▁is ▁well ▁known ▁for ▁the ▁abund ance ▁and ▁many ▁vari eties ▁of ▁fruit ▁trees ▁that ▁are ▁cultiv ated ▁throughout ▁the ▁state . ▁The ▁only ▁f ruits ▁ind igen ous ▁to ▁the ▁region , ▁however , ▁consisted ▁of ▁wild ▁ber ries ▁or ▁grew ▁on ▁small ▁bush es . ▁Spanish ▁mission aries ▁brought ▁fruit ▁se eds ▁over ▁from ▁Europe , ▁many ▁of ▁which