Buena Vista Adobe, Vista, CA

I was a chaperone for Molly and Marina's 4th grade class.  We visited the Buena Vista Abobe which is a 163 year old adobe from the land grant ranchos (ranches) of California.  The Mexican government when California was under Mexican rule encouraged the settlement of large land grants and they were called ranchos.  The adobe style house was made with clay bricks and opened up into a courtyard.  Usually, the adobes started out as a one room house and as the rancho prospered additions were made to the adobe.  The kids got to make candles.  Years ago, candles were made with tallow or animal fat.  The kids also got to brand a piece of leather, to show them how an animal would have been branded back then.  The brand was the letter D for the family that owned the rancho, which was the Dunn family.  They got to make necklaces with from their branding and pounding of another piece of leather with a hammer.  I took some videos of their activites.