Mission Secularization and the Rancho Period 1834 - 1849

New Spain’s Changing Demographic La Casta – The mixed-race people of post-Conquest Spanish America (generalized description). Social Stratification / Caste System Upper Class (Land Owners / Aristocracy) Peninsulares: Spanish Immigrant (Pure) Criollos: Mexican-born Spanish (Pure) Lower Class (Peasant / Working Class) Mestizos: Spanish + Native America Mulattos: Spanish + African Zambos: African + Native American Indios: Native American Negros: African (Sub-Saharan)

Mexican War of Independence: 1810 - 1821 Movement was led by the casta. Began as an idealistic peasants’ rebellion against colonial masters. The liberal movement of the coinciding Spanish Civil War (1820 – 1823) led Mexican conservatives (originally loyalists) to ally with rebels to maintain the status quo and the colonial system. 1815 – 1821: Guerilla war leading to independence (Treaty of Córdoba)

Mission Secularization Meaning “disestablishment,” a two-year process to remove the religious significance and to modernize old mission lands for secular use. All Indians were given two choices: (1) to be free from missionary rule and become Mexican citizens; (2) to remain under the church guidance and be exempt from corporal punishment. Resistance from the padres

Secularization (Cont’d) An Act for the Secularization of the Missions of California (1833): Active colonization and settlement of Baja and Alta California Sale of mission territory and distribution of land grants to private interests Proceeds from sale of mission lands to fund colonization of California

Aftermath of Secularization Franciscans abandon the missions Locals plunder missions for building materials Partial conversion of some missions to pueblos (e.g. San Juan Capistrano) Statewide Indian population decreases from 300,000 to 100,000 in six years (1840’s) Exposure to European diseases Franciscan cloistering of female Indians

The Rancho Period Wealthy upper class acquire secularized lands Development of cattle, hide, and tallow trade Active trade with Boston Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana (1822) Agricultural development and growth of California The Californios The Brig Pilgrim

California Statehood The Bear Flag Revolt (1846) Mexican-American War and military occupation of California (1846 – 1848) Compromise of 1850 → Statehood Indian loss of mission protection, land, and property 18 treaties between U.S. and Indians → establishment of reservations by 1875 Indian population decreases to 3,000 by 1879