Padre Vicente de Santa Maria was born in Spain in Calahorra, the rich wine country of northern Spain. According to his passport, he had "a good physique, dark hair and a florid countenance." He served for many years as a ship's chaplain, one of the ships being the San Carlos. He later served at the Mission San Diego, and Mission San Francisco. His last assignment was at Mission San Buenaventura from its beginnings in 1782, until his death in 1806. The mission was under construction during his tenure and actually not completed until 1809. He was well-versed in the languages and customs of the local Chumash Indians and according to an entry by CAPT George Vancouver "was beloved by the neophytes". Padre Santa Maria was a reluctant missionary, and seemed to prefer being a ship's chaplain. There is a story that Padre Santa Maria brought with him from Spain some seeds of Arabian date palms, planting them near the mission. The four palms that grew and flourished for many years became the symbol for many of the city of San Buenaventura.
Padre Vicente de Santa Maria was born in Spain in Calahorra, the rich wine country of northern Spain. According to his passport, he had "a good physique, dark hair and a florid countenance." He served for many years as a ship's chaplain, one of the ships being the San Carlos. He later served at the Mission San Diego, and Mission San Francisco. His last assignment was at Mission San Buenaventura from its beginnings in 1782, until his death in 1806. The mission was under construction during his tenure and actually not completed until 1809. He was well-versed in the languages and customs of the local Chumash Indians and according to an entry by CAPT George Vancouver "was beloved by the neophytes". Padre Santa Maria was a reluctant missionary, and seemed to prefer being a ship's chaplain. There is a story that Padre Santa Maria brought with him from Spain some seeds of Arabian date palms, planting them near the mission. The four palms that grew and flourished for many years became the symbol for many of the city of San Buenaventura.
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