s ; ▁Mission ▁Nu estra ▁Se ñ ora ▁de ▁la ▁So led ad ▁was ▁located ▁far th est ▁in land , ▁being ▁only ▁some ▁thirty ▁miles ▁( 4 8 ▁kilom eters ) ▁from ▁the ▁shore . ▁Each ▁front ier ▁station ▁was ▁forced ▁to ▁be ▁self - support ing , ▁as ▁existing ▁means ▁of ▁supply ▁were ▁in ade qu ate ▁to ▁maintain ▁a ▁col ony ▁of ▁any ▁size . ▁California ▁was ▁months ▁away ▁from ▁the ▁nearest ▁base ▁in ▁colon ized ▁Mexico , ▁and ▁the ▁cargo ▁ships ▁of ▁the ▁day ▁were ▁too ▁small ▁to ▁carry ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁few ▁months ’ ▁r ations ▁in ▁their ▁holds . ▁To ▁sust ain ▁a ▁mission , ▁the ▁pad res ▁required ▁converted ▁Native ▁Americans , ▁called ▁ne oph y tes , ▁to ▁cultiv ate ▁cro ps ▁and ▁tend ▁liv est ock ▁in ▁the ▁volume ▁needed ▁to ▁support ▁a ▁fair - s ized ▁establishment . ▁The ▁scarc ity ▁of ▁imported ▁materials , ▁together ▁with ▁a ▁lack ▁of ▁sk illed ▁labor ers , ▁comp elled ▁the ▁mission aries ▁to ▁employ ▁simple ▁building ▁materials ▁and ▁methods ▁in ▁the ▁construction ▁of ▁mission ▁structures . ▁ ▁Although ▁the ▁miss ions ▁were ▁considered ▁temporary ▁vent ures ▁by ▁the ▁Spanish ▁hierarchy , ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁an ▁individual ▁settlement ▁was ▁not ▁simply ▁a ▁matter ▁of ▁" p ri est ly ▁wh im ." ▁ ▁The ▁found ing ▁of ▁a ▁mission ▁followed ▁long standing ▁rules ▁and ▁procedures ; ▁the ▁paper work ▁involved ▁required ▁months , ▁sometimes ▁years ▁of ▁correspond ence , ▁and ▁demanded ▁the ▁attention ▁of ▁virt ually