Mexican California This is the first of three sets of slides
dealing with Mexican California and the Gold Rush.
Slide 3
Timeline 1542: Cabrillo visits California 1769-1770: Fra.
Junipero Serra founds first missions: San Diego and Carmel 1776:
Anza reaches San Francisco via land route 1777: Pueblo de San Jose
founded 1781: Pueblo de los Angeles founded 1821: Mexico wins
independence from Spain 1833: The California missions are
secularized, that is, they are taken over by the civil government
Here's a brief timeline to help contextualize the events we're
about to cover.
Slide 4
Mexican Independence Mexico gained its independence from Spain
in 1821 Mexico became a constitutional republic in 1824 California,
as a result, became a territory of Mexico Two major problems with
nascent Mexican California: Distance from Mexico City Inexperience
of the leaders When Mexico gained its independence, California
became a territory of the new nation of Mexico. However, California
had two standing issues that made governing the territory
difficult. The first was that it was so far away from Mexico City,
the seat of Mexican government, and the leaders in California were
inexperienced. Especially for a state that was so large, and so
lightly populated, and was becoming ever moreso a place of interest
for many parties.
Slide 5
Timeline 1542: Cabrillo visits California 1769-1770: Fra.
Junipero Serra founds first missions: San Diego and Carmel 1776:
Anza reaches San Francisco via land route 1777: Pueblo de San Jose
founded 1781: Pueblo de los Angeles founded 1821: Mexico wins
independence from Spain 1833: The California missions are
secularized, that is, they are taken over by the civil government
Here's a brief timeline to help contextualize the events we're
about to cover.
Slide 6
Mexican Independence Mexico gained its independence from Spain
in 1821 Mexico became a constitutional republic in 1824 California,
as a result, became a territory of Mexico Two major problems with
nascent Mexican California: Distance from Mexico City Inexperience
of the leaders
Slide 7
Results of Mexican Independence Secularization of the missions
Rancho Land Grants Issued Political Turmoil Ensued Hide and Tallow
Trade Intensified As a result of Mexican independence, four major
ongoing events occurred within California, namely, the missions
were secularized. As a result of that, the mission lands were
reissued as land grants to people. Again, being so distant from
Mexico City, and being a very lightly populated area -- over a
large area -- political turmoil ensued, and the economy shifte to
hide and tallow trade as the mainstay of California's economy.
Slide 8
Mexican California endeavored to create a civil society through
secularization of the missions, foreign trade, and land grants
(Starr 45).
Slide 9
Secularization The California missions were secularized in 1833
That is, they were taken over by the secular government One thinks
of Henry VIII of England at the time of the Reformation and his
dissolution of the monasteries (that is, they too came under state
rule). But in the case of California missions, the original intent
was to return land to the native peoples of California. Governor
Jos Figueroa (1834) Unfulfilled secularization proclamation Half of
the property was to go to the Native Americans However, he died
during the process, and the secularization process was negatively
impacted as far as returning land to the Native Americans. So,
twelve years or so after Mexican independence, the missions of
California -- those 21 churches established -- were secularized,
that is, they were taken by the civil government and the property
dispersed to others I'm of three hundred years before this, during
the Protestant Reformation, and Henry VIII disolved the
monasteries, that is, England to state ownership of the monasteries
and increased the wealth of the civil government of England.
Slide 10
Secularization (cont.) Impact on the Native Americans They were
transferred, along with the mission cattle and land, to the newly
created ranchos. They were usually treated worse than when under
the leadership of the missions. Emergence of an elite class
(rancheros) As a result of not fulfilling the plan of turning over
the missions to the Native Californians, matters became worsefor
the Native Californians. They were transferred, along with the
mission cattle and land to the new rancho owners, and they were
usually treated worse than they had been treated under the
leadership of the missions.
Slide 11
Rancho Land Grants Sizemaximum 50,000 acres Process for
qualification to receive land grant Step 1: petition Step 2: diseo
Step 3: concedo Step 4: permanent title The next five slides go
into detail about how someone became the owner of a rancho.
Slide 12
Step 1: Petition Agree to military service if needed Become a
Mexican citizen (and thus convert to Roman Catholicism if lacking)
Examples of economically expedient religious conversion would be
Benjamin (Benito) Wilson and Louis Rubidoux A rationale must be
given for being granted the land
Slide 13
Step 2: Diseo (a drawing; map) Step 2 was that a Diseo (
drawing; map) of the prospective area had to be submitted.
Slide 14
Step 3: Concedo The official order to prepare the title
Permanent structure necessary Definite boundaries (offical
survey)
Slide 15
Step 4: Title Official title granted as the last step
Unfortunately, many did not take this last step These ranchos were
lost after California became a part of the United States The final
step was to obtain the offical title to the land.Unfortunately,
many did not take this step,perhaps thinking things would always
stay the same and others recognizing already their ownership of the
land. Those who did not obtain the title -- some of these are
well-known cases -- once the United States took over California,if
these people were not able to produce the official title, even
though they had been on the land and were living there and working
it, they lost that land.
Slide 16
Rancheros Recipients of government land grants Participants in
Mexican Californias hides and tallow economy Notable rancheros Don
Jos Andrs Seplveda Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Juan Bautista
Alvarado, the nephew of Vallejo Pio Pico: born at Mission San
Gabriel; his grandfather had accompanied Anza on one of his
expeditions; the last Governor of Alta California Juan Bandini:
Owned Rancho Jurupa Benjamin (Benito) Wilson: American Grandfather
of General George S. Patton, Jr., of WWII fame Mt. Wilson is named
after him Louis Rubidoux (near Riverside): American The rancho
tradition is remembered in the local name Rancho Cucamonga This
slide notes some notable rancheros -- those who owned ranchos Some
of these people gave their names to major streets and towns in
California and I even note some more local rancho owners.
Slide 17
Life on the Ranchos Native American serfs Vaqueros (cowboys)
Essentially a feudal society Rancheros ruled as lords, and thus the
title Don. Indian workers were serfs (slaves?) Native Americans who
were, in a sense, transferred to the new rancho owner, were
analogous to the medieval serf, who was tied to the land regardless
of any change in lordship. Rawls and Bean estimate that only around
100 non-Native Californians were literate (70). They were doing
quite well and ruling their own enclaves, but they were living on
borrowed time When I look at the situation of the ranchos, I am
more and more reminded of medieval feudalism because the Native
Americans are like the medieval serfs in that they seem to be in
some sense tied to the land -- they were transferred with the land
when the secularization of the missions occurred. The ranchero who
rules over his rancho in known as "Don," which is from the Latin
for "lord." Once again, I like to make historical connections.
Slide 18
Ranchos (cont.) Overall, there was very little urbanization in
Mexican California (i.e., people were not living in towns);
reminiscent of feudal Europe during the Middle Ages, where villages
were associated with the old Roman villas, worked by serfs, known
as villeins. In fact, some of the Californios styled themselves as
caballeros. The Spanish term caballero is cognate to chivalry and
calvary, and thus caballero is equal to the term knight. A
caballero was thus a knight/gentleman, and a vaquero was equivalent
to a cowboy.
Slide 19
Ranchero culture and horses Excellent horses, however, were so
numerous that they were allowed to run and graze freely, dragging
lassos for easy catching. Walking was a lost art. It was much
easier to catch a passing horse, ride it where one wished to go,
and turn it loose again. To Richard Henry Dana, author of Two Years
before the Mast (1840), all Californians in the 1830s seemed to be
centaurs (R & B 68), adding, Some of the most skillful riders
were the daughters of the rancheros (ibid.).
Slide 20
Two of the Riverside areas rancheros Louis Rubidoux Owned a
grist mill (near corner of Rubidoux Road and Mission Boulevard)
Louis Rubidoux, Lorenzo Trujillo (leader of the Agua Mansa/La
Placita settlement), and Benito Wilson all knew each other
Cornelius Jensen A Danish ship captain Married Mercedes Alvarado
Settled near Rubidouxs mill. His home is one of the best preserved
old homes in the State of California
Slide 21
Louis Rubidoux home (1869) (now gone)
Slide 22
The Jensen Alvarado Ranch home in Rubidoux c. 1870; still
standingJensen Alvarado Ranch Not an adobe, but built of red brick.
Both a California Historic Site and a National historic site Buried
at Agua Mansa cemetery, along with Rubidoux.Agua Mansa
cemetery
Slide 23
Californio A person of Spanish descent who was rooted in
California during the Mexican California period. They were often
rancheros, i.e., persons who owned (by government grant of the
Mexican California government) a large parcel of land for
(primarily) cattle raising. The rancheros were connected throughout
the state via family ties, and were fairly independent of
government intrusion. The non-Native American population of
California at the time was extremely small (around 7000, and only
about 1000 were adult males)
Slide 24
The movement from missions to ranchos At first, there were only
missions (religious) and presidios (military) Added were a couple
of pueblos (secular towns): San Jose and Los Angeles Then, with
Mexican independence, the missions were eventually secularized and
their extensive lands granted as ranchos (numbering 600 by 1840)
Many of these ranchos were subdivided over time Mexican California
was, then, tentatively republican in form, tempered by deep-seated
hierarchical and military traditions. The system was late medieval
(it has been styled ante-bellum Southern), based upon blood
(Spanish), property, and position, and the labor of subservients.
The gentry, vaunting some trace of Spanish inheritance and usually
intermarrying, held the chief military and civil offices, much of
the land and property, and a prejudice against things Mexican
(Harlow 24). Among the gente de razn, position was more to be
desired than riches, leisure than labor, and individual freedom,
even laxity and license, than discipline. Wealth meant lands and
cattle, the first initially of small value and virtually free for
the asking, the latter, as hides and tallow, providing almost the
only free capital and medium of exchange. Juan Bandini, one of the
gentry, said in 1828 that most of them did nothing (Harlow 25).
This slide has some points for review, going through things
chronologically. At first Father Serra began setting up the
missions in California, which were accompanied by a military
presence. Then, a couple of pueblos or secular towns were
established -- San Jose and Los Angeles -- Then, with Mexican
independence from Spain, the missions were secularized and their
lands granted as ranchos. I've included here a couple of quotes
from Harlow. I find these quotes from Harlow significant because
he, too, sees a feudalism going on and I've highlighted a few
words: blood (which means heredity); property (which is the core of
feudalism) position (people holding superior rank above others);
and the labor force which as I noted on another slide, paralled the
medieval, feudal practice of the laborer being tied to the land,
regardless of the land being transferred to another owner.
Slide 25
Californio Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo One of those who cannot be
said to have done "nothing" is Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo a
Californio of great note, and the next few slides give some
information about him.
Slide 26
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo His father was a leather jacket
soldier who escorted Junipero Serra to San Francisco in 1776 Well
educated--he was tutored in English, French, and Latin Entered
military service as a cadet at Monterey; became a member of the
territorial legislature. He is said to have been an architect of
Californias diversity: Vallejo was favorably inclined to
foreigners. The Generals establishing a precedent of tolerance
would carry over into the distant future. It is not too far-fetched
to suggest that Americans of diverse backgrounds today still feel
some of that sense of accommodating broadmindedness in California.
If he was not actually the founder of Californias diversity,
Vallejo was certainly one of its chief architects (Alan Rosenus,
General Vallejo and the Advent of the Americans: A Biography,
41).
Slide 27
Vallejo (cont.) Family manmarried16 children He owned several
land grant ranchos--His land acreage (175,000 acres) was comprised
of gifts, purchases, and awards for services or debts owed him.
Military Commandant of the San Francisco Presidio At his own
expense, he outfitted and fed the Mexican troops at Sonoma for next
ten years Apprehended in 1846 by Fremont, and then shamefully
imprisoned by Fremont, adding to pre-Mexican- American War
tensions
Slide 28
Hides and Tallow Trade Huge ranchos exported: Hides (of cattle)
Tallow (cow oil for lamps, etc.) The ranchos imported (because the
mission economy was shut down): Shoes (made from the hides they
exported) Saddles Soap (made from the tallow they exported) Candles
The hides and tallow trade was the economic backbone of the
ranchos. They were huge ranchos that exported the hides and tallow
of cattle. Recall that these ranchos were once mission-owned
ranchos. It wasn't the best business model... because the ranchos,
due to the limited economic activity outside of cattle ranching had
to import items, such as shoes and soap, that were actually made
from the materials they exported.
Slide 29
Hides and Tallow Trade The hides and tallow industry first
developed among the missions (Rawls and Bean [R&B] 61) tallow =
oil from animals After the missions disintegrated, there was
virtually no manufacturing (R&B 66) The rancheros inherited,
from secularization of the missions, land grants that came with
land, livestock, and laborers (R&B 66-7) Hides and tallow were
the new industries after (mostly) New England trapping ships nearly
exterminated the sea otter and the fur seal from Californias coasts
(R&B 73).
Slide 30
California Governors under the Mexican regime (1821-1847) Jose
Maria de Echeandia- Nov. 1825-Jan. 31, 1831 Antonia Garciaappointed
but appointment revoked Manuel Victoria-Jan. 31, 1831 to Dec. 6,
1831 Jose Maria de Echeandia-Dec.6, 1831 to Jan.14, 1833 Pio
Pico-Jan. 27, 1832 to Feb. 16, 1832 (20 days) Agustin Vicente
Zamorano-Feb.1, 1832 to Jan. 14, 1833 Jose Figueroa-Jan. 14, 1833
to Sept. 29, 1835 Jose Castro-Sep. 29, 1835 to Jan. 2, 1836 Nicolas
Gutierrez-Jan. 2 to May 3, 1836 Mariano Chico-May 3 to Aug. 1, 1836
Nicolas Gutierrez-Aug. 1 to Nov. 5, 1836 Jose Castro-Nov. 5 to Dec.
7, 1836 Juan Bautista Alvarado-Dec. 7, 1836 to Dec. 31, 1842 Manuel
Micheltorena-Dec. 31, 1842 to Feb. 22, 1845 Pio Pico-Feb. 22, 1845
to Aug. 10, 1846 Jose Maria Flores-Oct. 31, 1846 to Jan. 11, 1847
Andres Pico-Jan. 11 to Jan. 13, 1847 Just for interest's sake, here
is a list of the California governors under the Mexican government
that controlled California.
Slide 31
The Adobes Tapia Adobe (gone): Located near the corner of
Vineyard Avenue and Foothill Boulevard (later a part of famous
Route 66). The adobe was part of Rancho Cucamonga. Tapia Adobe
Yucaipa Adobe (extant): Once occupied by frontiersman Jim Waters
(1840s) and Diego Sepulveda Yucaipa Adobe Yorba-Slaughter Home
(extant) Benito Wilson married Ramona Yorba (daughter of Bernardo
Yorba); Wilson was Mayor of LA; Mount Wilson is named after him
Trujillo Adobe (Riverside; extant but in disrepair): The Agua Mansa
and La Placita communities were the largest communities between
Santa Fe and LA on the Old Spanish Trail. Located at Orange and
Center streets. Diego Sepulveda Adobe (extant in a park): Coast
Mesa Diego Sepulveda Adobe Avila Adobe (built 1818 by Francisco
Avila in Los Angeles) The oldest standing residence in Los Angeles.
It is located in the Olvera Street area. Alvarado Adobe (Pomona,
1840): Old Settlers Lane in Pomona. There are some old adobes still
aroundthat I want to note, and some that are no longer around.These
are found somewhat locally.Here are a few links if you want to look
into them.Some of them you can visit --the Yucaipa adobe is quite
accessible. The one in Costa Mesa -- the Diego Sepulveda Adobe --
I've never been inside of it, but there's a park around it so you
can right up to it. The one in Riverside -- the Trujillo Adobe --
is in unfortunate disrepair and it's covered by a protective shell.
It's out toward the corner of Orange and Center Streets.
Slide 32
Adobe Many of early Californias homes were built of adobe,
which is dried mud brick. The term adobe is actually from a Coptic
word, TBE (pronounced with two syllables), which means stone.
Coptic is the last phase of the ancient Egyptian language. The term
made its way to Spain via the Muslims, who added the Arabic prefix
for the, al-. Thus adobe is only one of two or three Coptic loan
words in English. I have a background in translating Coptic, which
is the last phase of the ancient Egyptian language, and is one of
the languages of the Christian Coptic Church. This slide notes how
the Coptic word for stone, TOBE, became in the western hemisphere
our word for dried mud brick.