Think San Juan Capistrano, and what comes to mind? Swallows. Father Junipero Serra and the mission’s bells. The domed Kiichas homes of the Acjachemen. Maybe the San Juan Creek.

Now, if those elements could be distilled into a singular image, one that could capture the ethos of the community’s rich history, what would it look like?

That’s what city leaders are hoping to come up with as they explore new artwork to replace San Juan Capistrano’s 60-year-old city seal. After one design decided on received mixed feedback, City Council members are putting out a call for community members to submit more ideas, in the hopes of finding one they can come to agreement on within a year.

“There’s a lot of rich history in our past, so a way that incorporates all of that without a complicated feel is something I would leave up to designers,” said Councilman Sergio Farias, who, along with Councilman Troy Bourne, initiated the search for a new design.

The motivation for the change was a desire to have a city seal that translates better on digital platforms, where it’s viewed most of the time these days, Farias said. He said both he and Bourne thought the existing design “was really dated.”

“Most people are looking at city seals through a cell phone,” he said, adding that “I think any seal that there’s too much detail doesn’t transfer well.”

But the talks of change also prompted discussion over the appropriateness of the existing design, which depicts Saint Serra embracing a Native American boy. The Juaneño Band of Mission Indians were the earliest residents of the region.

At a meeting last month, Mayor Derek Reeve said he believed the depiction of the boy as “subservient” to Serra, along with the embrace, was the real impetus for updating the seal.

Councilman Howard Hart said the artwork “at best… can be viewed as patriarchal.

“And at worst, given the history of the Catholic Church (and) some of the things that have happened there for the last couple of decades, it can be interpreted in a very different manner,” he said. “No matter how it was intended to be depicted, a Catholic priest embracing a nearly naked, Native American boy could be misinterpreted poorly.”

While that factor “certainly wasn’t the motivation of councilmember Bourne and I bringing this action forward,” Farias said, the response from community members has been that “it’s about time” for an update, he said.

“A lot of the feedback has since been, ‘I’ve never really looked at our city seal before, and now I can never unsee it.”

Farias said the City Council tries to stay away from “hot topic issues.” Whether the artist of the original design had considered how the seal was portraying Native Americans and early settlers, “I don’t know, and that’s why we would rather not talk about it,” he said.

“But if you asked me, that’s sort of a depiction of the Native Americans as childlike and docile, and that’s not something that I think is appropriate imagery.”

At a meeting in December, the City Council adopted a simpler design than the current concept, one featuring a swallow eclipsing a mission bell. But some weren’t satisfied.

Reeve likened the proposed replacement to the Taco Bell logo, saying it erases features that depict the culture of San Juan Capistrano, like Serra, the Mission San Juan Capistrano and the Acjachemen.

“I do appreciate it was brought up. I think it’s important. It’s a long time coming,” Reeve said. “But I don’t want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. I don’t want to cancel our culture, I don’t want to cancel our heritage and I don’t want to cancel our history.”

An updated design for San Juan Capistrano’s city seal.

City officials have given themselves a year deadline to adopt a new seal, or stick with the one they approved last month.

At a Cultural Heritage Commission meeting next month, members will explore designs and feedback submitted by community members, and add their own input, city spokeswoman Matisse Reischl said.

Already, a few concepts have been turned in. All include some imagery of swallows to acknowledge the birds that migrate to the area each spring. The mission bells are also a common feature, along with horses.

Farias said he hoped a final design would include some element depicting water, because of the importance of creeks and the ocean to the area’s early people.

Once a design is accepted, it will be phased in over time, as city signs and equipment are replaced as needed.

“I’m hoping that we’ll get something that’s exciting and new,” Farias said, “and is a refresh on what we represent as a city.”

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