Raising sheep for wool and food was one of the most important agricultural activities of Mission San Miguel. This original passageway to the protected work area of the internal quadrangle courtyard has a gated entrance for the sheep flocks of the Mission.

The unadorned walls of this entrance way are a particularly good place to stop and observe the rough adobe brick construction of the Mission. Adobe is a mixture of clay, straw and gravel. The adobe was formed into bricks, then hardened by sun drying. These walls were made by stacking layers of adobe bricks, “cemented” into place by another mud mixture. All of the adobe bricks were made by hand from local materials.

Previous Page     Next Page