Spanish California: : Golden Age of Spanish Empire
Colonization of Alta California: 10 year project 1769-? Why 1769? –Alta California never directly colonized –Fear of competition—Russians, English –Fear of independence –Must Hispanisize the native population
Four Tiered Project: Presidios Missions Pueblos Ranchos
Colonial Project’s Goals 1.Save souls through conversion to Christianity 2.Create a ‘Gente de Razon’, Hispanisize native populations 3.Teach farming and agriculture 4.Eventually create private property from mission lands 5.Recruit some Spaniards--Rancheros
4 Presidios: –San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Francisco 3 Pueblos: –Branciforte (Santa Cruz), Los Angeles, San Jose 22 Missions: –San Diego 1769 to Solano (Sonoma) 1823 Ranchos: –Only 20 families until 1824
Drake’s Arrival Artist’s conception of Miwok Indians greeting Sir Francis Drake, 1579
Miwok Sunday Service, Mission Dolores (SF), 1816
Missionization of CA Indians –Control of sex, gender roles –Agriculture –Demographic collapse –Spanish, Catholic Church rationalization
Mission La Purisma near Lompoc, CA
Mission San Diego
San Gabriel Mission
Santa Barbara Mission
California Mission Postcards: Carmel
Monterey
San Francisco
San Louis Obispo
Santa Cruz
Pueblos 1.Spanish on the ground—beginnings of a civil society 2.Problematic Missions 3.Los Angeles Pueblo, Racial Diversity in Pueblos (esp LA)
Pueblo LA 1847
L.A. 1857
Ranchos –Difficult to recruit Spanish Only 20 families from get land grants Nieto Family: Long Beach to Orange County Dominguez Family: San Pedro, Palos Verdes (75,000 acres) –Ideas of property ownership Very casual Culture of Honor; Romantic Image –Rising tensions Padres vs Rancheros
Dominguez Estate
Mexican Era: Independence: Secularization: Native Californians Golden Age of the Californio
Native Laborer on Rancho
The Romantic Californio
Californio
General Vallejo
Californio Map
Pio Pico and Family, ca 1850