Santa Barbara Mission, founded in 1786 as the tenth mission of the 21 Franciscan missions in California, is considered "the queen" of the  missions in the state and the most visited. Early in the 19th century the mission had more than 1,700 Indian neophytes living in a village of 250 adobe houses. The Santa Barbara Indians made the mission self-sustaining. At one time 150 neophytes were armed and drilled to reinforce the Spanish presidio guard. After secularization the mission became a parish church, first Mexican and later American. Click on a picture to see a larger view.