Stepping Into Another World

Though only a stone’s throw from the hurly-burly of the San Diego Freeway in southern Orange County, Mission San Juan Capistrano is light years away in terms of tranquillity.

Hordes of summer tourists visibly slow down, and even speak more softly, as they enter the 213-year-old mission. Brian W. McInerey, director of tourism at the mission, believes the Old World charm inside the mission makes the difference.

“Out there, beyond the mission walls, there are lots of developments and noisy progress,” he said. “Inside these walls, one is transported back to another era. It’s calm and peaceful here.”

Fountains sparkle in the sunlight, and water splashes melodically. Pigeons and a few swallows gracefully fly above the adobe walls. In the gardens, mature trees cast cool shade over visitors.

An ancient metal-producing furnace, the first ever built in the far West, shows tourists how the California Indians learned that exacting trade more than 200 years ago. A chapel frequented by Father Junipero Serra invites tourists to pause and meditate.

“This is a world-class historic site,” said Nicholas M. Magalousis, a Chapman College professor who is director of archeology at the mission. “It’s known around the world, and with good reason.”

John Loomis, an architect who is working on plans to further protect and stabilize the mission, said he always seems in another world while inside the walls of its grounds. “It’s like stepping back into time,” he said.