OUR LADY OF PILAR. ONE VIRGIN AND TWO DESTINIES.

Author: Sealtiel Enciso Pérez

Our Southern California is a land full of traditions and surprises. It is a matter for historians to dedicate ourselves to scrutinizing ancient books and we will find many anecdotes worthy of being told. In this case, we are going to approach the case of a virgin, Our Lady of the Pillar, who was the patroness of two nearby missions, La Paz and Todos Santos.

In November 1720, a schooner sailed the Gulf of California with two priests, Jaime Bravo and Juan de Ugarte, among the crew. Both had the mission of founding a mission in the port of La Paz, a posthumous desire that they would fulfill for the great Apostle of the Californias, Juan María de Salvatierra. On the 2nd of the mentioned month, they disembarked in the Bay and immediately set to work clearing the terrain to establish a chapel. These activities took them several days until they finally established the mentioned site on one of the hills near the beach and where they were better supplied with water and protected from the possible onslaughts they may have had by the Guaycuras who inhabited the area. By early December, Father Clemente Guillén finally arrived at the site, who had spent 23 days on the worst expedition he would undertake in his life. This priest left the town of San Juan Bautista Malibal-Ligüí towards this port of La Paz, but the route was traced through one of the most dangerous and difficult mountainous areas to transit, so it was quite a feat and a miracle that he arrived alive.

Once the foundation of this mission was made, which was consecrated to the Virgin of the Pillar, at the request of its main benefactor who provided sufficient money to initiate its construction, the Marquis of Villapuente de la Peña. The priest under whose tutelage the site was left was Father Jaime Bravo, who took care of the place and built a weak chapel with the materials he could get in the place for a period of 8 years (from 1720 to 1728). In 1728, Father Bravo retired from the place to Loreto, and for 2 years, it was abandoned until the arrival of Father William Gordon in 1830. This priest continued his evangelizing work among the Guaycuras until the great rebellion of the Pericúes occurred in 1734, which was supported by the Guaycuras and even reached distant towns such as San Ignacio Kadakaamán and San Francisco Javier de Vigge Biaundó.

During the two years that the rebellion of the Californians lasted, no one took charge of the site until in 1736, once this rebellion was conjured, Father Segismundo Taraval was appointed to this site. During the following years, this priest resumed the catechization of the natives. However, they were very difficult years due to the prolonged droughts that affected agriculture and the little livestock they had, the epidemics that cost the lives of many Californians, and the lack of water. It was not until 1749 that the Mission of Our Lady of the Pillar of La Paz Airapí was definitively abandoned, and its few catechumens as well as the virgin and its ornaments were taken to the visitation chapel that had been arranged in Todos Santos.

Originally, what is now known as the Mission of Todos Santos was a "visita" founded by Jesuit Father Jaime Bravo to cultivate food and send it to the Mission of Our Lady of Pilar in La Paz. From the years 1724 to 1726, this visita was under the care of priest Lorenzo Carranco until he left to move to the Mission of Santiago de Los Coras. It was in the year 1733 that priest Segismundo Taraval was commissioned to found the Mission at this site, which was named Santa Rosa (of the cove) de las Palmas. The reason for this name was because the benefactor who provided the funds to create it was named Rosa de la Peña y Rueda. The following year, the Pericú Rebellion broke out and the Mission was abandoned.

In 1749, when the Mission of La Paz had to be abandoned due to the events already mentioned, its few catechumens, ornaments, and the image of the Virgin of Pilar were concentrated in the Mission of Todos Santos. Over time, epidemics increased in magnitude until practically all of the native inhabitants died, and due to the difficulty of the few survivors being able to sustain themselves, they were distributed to the Mission of Santiago de Los Coras Añiñí.

In the mid-19th century, the Mission had to close its doors due to the small number of inhabitants in the town, as well as the lack of a permanent priest. It was not until the early decades of the 20th century that economic activity began to pick up in this area and the number of inhabitants increased. It was then that the church reopened its doors, but already under the name of Our Lady of Pilar of Todos Santos, by which it is known today. Every October 12th, the inhabitants of the town gather before the images of Our Lady of Pilar that are distributed throughout Todos Santos and sing "Mañanitas" to her, as well as thanking her for the favors granted.

Beautiful pages written with the romance of a bygone time, but which remind us of the origins of this beautiful land and must be remembered and celebrated as a demonstration of the identity of the people of Baja California.

Bibliography:

THE MISSIONS OF BAJA CALIFORNIA/THE MISSION OF BAJA CALIFORNIA, 1683-1849. A historical-photographic review. - W. Michael Mathes