Mission State Park

The Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park sits atop Mission Hill offering a patio, gardens, and excellent views of the city. The park features the only building left of the 12th California Mission, Misión la Exaltacion de la Santa Cruz, founded by the Franciscans in 1791. Restored to its original appearance, the austere single-story adobe was once housing for the California Indian residents of the Mission. Exhibits inside tell the story of the mission through the lens of the experience of the Ohlone and Yokut people. New exhibits and a wall-sized movie projection to tell the story of the Ohlone and Yokuts Indian experience at the Santa Cruz Mission will be featured in guided tours, or may be viewed at leisure on self-guided tours. This portion of the adobe, built in the early 1800’s, is the only surviving building from Mission Santa Cruz. Archeological excavations in the 1980’s revealed that this had been Indian family housing, the only example of its kind still standing in California today. The movie, We are Still Here, addresses the often hidden story of the experience of the Ohlone people between the era of the Missions and today. The new exhibits interpret the pre-contact lifeways of the Ohlone and Yokuts Indians, and are a welcome addition to the 7-room building that also includes information about the California Indian experience in the mission, archeological excavations and Neary-Rodriguez family history.