Review by Choice Review
Missionization and colonization often went hand in hand, and California was no exception. Colonial officials, together with Catholic missionaries, tried to transform Native American societies and restructure native cultures to serve capitalist ends. Alta California tried to emulate the model developed in central Mexico, where nonsedentary, indigenous people became sedentary laborers in an effort to acculturate Indian populations and create a new colonial society. Surplus agricultural produce from the mission economies was used to help defray the costs of colonization, and the missions became integral to colonial frontier policy. Jackson addresses such key questions as why Indians entered the missions, Native American resistance to Spanish efforts at acculturation, the impact of mission life on Indian converts, and the demographic implications of cultural change. Several appendixes document the progress of the mission culture. Recommended for libraries with strong collections in missions, the American West, or Spanish borderlands. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. Andrew; Franklin and Marshall College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
