Lavanderia

To the South of the Mission lay the lavanderia, or open air laundry area. This shallow valley in front of the mission proved ideal as both a bathing site and a place to wash clothes.

Additionally, the structure provided a means of channeling the water into the mission's gardens and fields for irrigation.

Water from the San Luis Rey River was diverted to the site. Flowing down from both sides of the tiled stairway, water spouted from the mouths of carved gargoyles.

An extensive water conservation system by even modern standards, the lavanderia was surrounded by an adobe wall and entry was through an arched and pillared gateway. A turnstile kept wildlife out.

In 1955 the first organized archaeological work was begun by seminary students under the direction of the staff at San Luis Rey College and visiting historians and archaeologists.

The site was registered at the archaeological survey office at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and given the permanent trinomial designation SDi241.

Since then professional restoration attempts have been minimal. Highway construction projects and housing developments have leveled hills and the valley has undergone many changes including the diversion of the San Luis Rey River.

In this area, however, the awesomeness of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is not lost to time. From the lavanderia it is still possible to look upward through the adobe arch and view the Mission's magnificent dome silhouetted against an azure sky.

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