SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Mission Artifacts May Be Saved in Mall

A brick well and cistern unearthed recently behind the Avila Adobe on Camino Capistrano may become a permanent part of a new mall being built on the site, developer Paul Farber said in an interview this week.

Farber, who is building the second phase of his Franciscan Plaza on the site, said he will attempt to work the well and cistern into the design of his project. The plaza’s second phase includes a restaurant, retail space and office space on a half-acre parcel that includes the 19th-Century adobe.

Archeologist Roberta Greenwood, a consultant for the city, said similar findings have been preserved at missions in Santa Barbara and Ventura. The cistern found in San Juan Capistrano appears to be similar to small pools used for washing, called lavanderias, at the other missions, Greenwood said.

A few yards away from the well, an adobe wall was also unearthed by archeologists doing test digs on the site. Greenwood called it a “rare find.”