but most importantly, create a tie between Mission Santa Barbara and La Purisima, so that the travel to Mission Santa Barbara would take one day. Mission Santa Ines had promising beginnings, with 200 Chumash Indians attending the opening ceremony to receive blessings and to baptize 27 children. It also received a lot of aid from the nearby missions.
Fathers Gutierrez and Calzada the two assigned priests believed they would have great success, such that they built a huge quadrangle, 350 feet on each side. Father Francisco Javier de Uria designed an elaborate water system to transfer water from the mountains to the mission and Indian village. With the fertile land, it became famed for its large herds of cattle, crops and craftswork. But numerous problems and calamities would prevent it from reaching the level of success anticipated, and it never had more than 768 neophytes. Located off the main highway, it was not easily reached. Its first disaster was the earthquake of 1812, which destroyed the newly completed buildings, that reconstruction had to begin in 1813 and lasted until 1817. The main problem was the soldiers or "leatherjackets" after Mexico's independence from Spain. After 1821, the military stationed at the missions were no longer receiving pay or supplies, forcing the Indians to provide the support. In addition to the extra work, the Indians were subject to cruel treatment by the soldiers, leading to tremendous bitterness of the Indians. The final straw came when a soldier flogged an Indian corporal from Mission La Purisima, leading to the Indian revolt of 1824. Two Indians were killed, but no padres. The soldiers' barracks were burned down but when the fire spread to the church, the Indians stopped to put out the fire. Later, the main Indian rebels fled to La Purisima where further fighting took place as more military reinforcements arrived.