8 0 6 ▁and ▁the ▁other ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 8 , ▁caused ▁many ▁death s . ▁The ▁mort ality ▁rates ▁were ▁so ▁high ▁that ▁the ▁miss ions ▁were ▁constantly ▁dependent ▁upon ▁new ▁convers ions . ▁ ▁Young ▁native ▁women ▁were ▁required ▁to ▁res ide ▁in ▁the ▁mon jer ío ▁( or ▁" n unn ery ") ▁under ▁the ▁super vision ▁of ▁a ▁trust ed ▁Indian ▁mat ron ▁who ▁bore ▁the ▁responsibility ▁for ▁their ▁w elf are ▁and ▁education . ▁Women ▁only ▁left ▁the ▁convent ▁after ▁they ▁had ▁been ▁" won " ▁by ▁an ▁Indian ▁su itor ▁and ▁were ▁de emed ▁ready ▁for ▁marriage . ▁Following ▁Spanish ▁custom , ▁court ship ▁took ▁place ▁on ▁either ▁side ▁of ▁a ▁bar red ▁window . ▁After ▁the ▁marriage ▁ceremony ▁the ▁woman ▁moved ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁mission ▁comp ound ▁and ▁into ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁family ▁h uts . ▁These ▁" n un ner ies " ▁were ▁considered ▁a ▁necessity ▁by ▁the ▁pri ests , ▁who ▁felt ▁the ▁women ▁needed ▁to ▁be ▁protected ▁from ▁the ▁men , ▁both ▁Indian ▁and ▁de ▁raz ón ▁(" inst ruct ed ▁men ", ▁i . e . ▁Europe ans ). ▁The ▁cr amp ed ▁and ▁uns an it ary ▁conditions ▁the ▁girls ▁lived ▁in ▁contributed ▁to ▁the ▁fast ▁spread ▁of ▁disease ▁and ▁population ▁decl ine . ▁So ▁many ▁died ▁at ▁times ▁that ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁Indian ▁residents ▁of ▁the ▁miss ions ▁ur ged ▁the ▁pri ests ▁to ▁ra id ▁new ▁villages ▁to ▁supply ▁them ▁with ▁more ▁women . ▁As ▁of ▁December