![LosAngeles-Plaza-1869](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/LosAngeles-Plaza-1869.jpg)
El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles (
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
: ''The town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels''), shortened to Pueblo de los Ángeles, was the Spanish civilian ''
pueblo
In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...
'' settled in 1781, which by the 20th century became the American
metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The pueblo was built using labor from the adjacent village of
Yaanga
Yaanga was a large Tongva (or Kizh) village originally located near what is now downtown Los Angeles, just west of the Los Angeles River and beneath U.S. Route 101. People from the village were recorded as ''Yabit'' in missionary records althou ...
and was totally dependent on local
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
labor for its survival.
Official settlements in
Alta California
Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
were of three types: ''
presidio
A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th century, 16th and 18th century, 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Captaincy Genera ...
'' (military), ''
mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
'' (religious) and ''pueblo'' (civil). The Pueblo de los Ángeles was the second pueblo (town) created during the
Spanish colonization
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
of California (the first was
San Jose, in 1777). —'The Town of the Queen of Angels' was founded twelve years after the first ''presidio'' and ''mission'', the
Presidio of San Diego and the
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá ( es, Misión San Diego de Alcalá) was the second Franciscan founded mission in The Californias (after San Fernando de Velicata), a province of New Spain. Located in present-day San Diego, California, it ...
(1769). The original settlement consisted of forty-four people in eleven families, recruited mostly from
Estado de Occidente
Estado de Occidente ( en, Western State; also known as Sonora y Sinaloa) was a Mexican state established in 1824. The constitution was drafted in that year and the government was initially established with its capital at El Fuerte, Sinaloa. The f ...
. As new settlers arrived and soldiers retired to civilian life in Los Angeles, the town became the principal urban center of southern Alta California, whose social and economic life revolved around the raising of livestock on the expansive ''
ranchos''.
Founding
In 1542
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo ( pt, João Rodrigues Cabrilho; c. 1499 – January 3, 1543) was an Iberian maritime explorer best known for investigations of the West Coast of North America, undertaken on behalf of the Spanish Empire. He was the firs ...
, with a commission from Viceroy
Antonio de Mendoza
Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco (, ; 1495 – 21 July 1552) was a Spanish colonial administrator who was the first Viceroy of New Spain, serving from 14 November 1535 to 25 November 1550, and the third Viceroy of Peru, from 23 September 1551, ...
, was the first European to sail along and explore the California coast. Although he claimed all he saw as territory of the Spanish Empire, no efforts at colonization were made for over two hundred years. Concerned about colonizing efforts by the Russians and French, Spain set plans in motion in the 1760s to establish a presence and defend its claim to the territory.
The Spanish settlement did not reach Alta California until 1769, when explorer
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar is a given and/or surname of French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish origin, cognate to Casper (given name) or Casper (surname).
It is a name of biblical origin, per Saint Gaspar, one of the wise men mentioned in the Bible.
Notable peo ...
reached the San Diego area via the first land route from
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Accompanying him were two
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
,
Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra y Ferrer (; ; ca, Juníper Serra i Ferrer; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size ...
and
Juan Crespí
Joan Crespí or Juan Crespí (1 March 1721 – 1 January 1782) was a Franciscan missionary and explorer of Las Californias.
Biography
A native of Majorca, Crespí entered the Franciscan order at the age of seventeen. He came to New Spain ...
, who recorded the expedition. As they came through today's
Elysian Park
Elysian Park is one of the largest parks in Los Angeles at 600 acres (240 ha). Most of Elysian Park falls in the neighborhood of the same name, but a small portion of the park falls in Echo Park.
The park was created by city ordinance on April 5, ...
, they were awed by a river that flowed from the northwest, past their point and on southward. Crespí named the river ''El Río de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula'', meaning, in Spanish, "the River of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula". The name derives from
Santa Maria degli Angeli (Italian: "St. Mary of the Angels") which is the name of the small town in Italy housing the
Porciuncula, the church where St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order, carried out his religious life. The river that was called the Porciuncula is today's
Los Angeles River
, name_etymology =
, image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg
, image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge
, image_size = 300
, map = LARmap.jpg
, map_size ...
. Because the future town's name was a take on this "
Queen of Heaven
Queen of Heaven ( la, Regina Caeli) is a title given to the Virgin Mary, by Christians mainly of the Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, in Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Eastern Orthodoxy.
The Catholic teaching on this subject is expresse ...
" Marian title, various versions of Crespí's formula would be used for the town, including the exceedingly long ''El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río Porciúncula''.
During the expedition, Father Crespí observed a location along the river that would be good for a settlement or mission. However, in 1771, Father Serra instead commissioned two missionaries to establish the
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel ( es, Misión de San Gabriel Arcángel) is a Californian mission and historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. It was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," September ...
-San Gabriel Mission near the present day
Whittier Narrows
The Whittier Narrows is a narrows or water gap in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States, between the Puente Hills to the east and the Montebello Hills to the west. The gap is located at the southern boundary of t ...
section of the
San Gabriel River. The missionaries encountered resistance from the
Tongva
The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . Some descendants of the people prefer Kizh as an endonym that, they argue, is more historically ...
to their attempts to
resettle the Natives on the mission. The mission encountered further trouble in 1776 when a flood damaged the mission, convincing the missionaries to move and rebuild the mission on a higher and more defensible location: its present site in
San Gabriel. The first Spanish governor of
Las Californias
The Californias (Spanish: ''Las Californias''), occasionally known as The Three Californias or Two Californias, are a region of North America spanning the United States and Mexico, consisting of the U.S. state of California and the Mexican stat ...
,
Felipe de Neve
Felipe de Neve y Padilla (1724 – 3 November 1784) was a Spanish soldier who served as the 4th Governor of the Californias, from 1775 to 1782. Neve is considered one of the founders of Los Angeles and was instrumental in the foundation of San ...
had, as well, recommended to
Viceroy Bucareli Father Crespí's location on the Río Porciúncula (
Los Angeles River
, name_etymology =
, image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg
, image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge
, image_size = 300
, map = LARmap.jpg
, map_size ...
) for a mission. Instead, in 1781,
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
mandated that a pueblo be built on the site instead, which would be the second town in Alta California, after
San José de Guadalupe in 1777. The monarch, disregarding the production and trade roles of the missions, saw a greater need for secular pueblos to be established as the centers of agriculture and commerce to supply the crown's ever-growing military presence in "Nueva California." The priests at the missions ignored the royal mandate and continued their ranching, trading and production of tallow, soap, hides, and beef, often in competition with new pueblo ventures.
Settlement
Governor de Neve took his assignment seriously and had a complete set of maps and plans drawn up by May 1780 for the layout and settlement of the new pueblo, including the placement of government houses, town houses, the church, the fields, the farms, and access to the river – the ''Instrucción'' and th
''Reglamento para el gobierno de la Provincia de Californias'' But gathering the ''pobladores''-settlers was a little more difficult. After failing to recruit the target number of families in
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, he had to go as far as
Sinaloa to finally end up with 11 families, that is, 11 men, 11 women, and 22 children of various
Spanish American castes:
Criollo
Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to:
People
* Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish race-based colonial caste system (the European descendants)
Animals
* Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South Ameri ...
,
Mulatto
(, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...
and ''
Negro
In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...
''.
![LA founding pueblo marker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/LA_founding_pueblo_marker.jpg)
As local lore tells it, on September 4, 1781 the 44 ''pobladores'' gathered at
San Gabriel Mission and, escorted by a military detachment and two priests from the Mission, set out for the site that Crespí had chosen. In reality, several of the families were probably already working on their plots of land as early as late July. Governor de Neve gave the new town the name ''El Pueblo de la Reina de los Ángeles''-The Town of the Queen of the Angels. In accordance with the
Laws of the Indies
The Laws of the Indies ( es, Leyes de las Indias) are the entire body of laws issued by the Spanish Crown for the American and the Asian possessions of its empire. They regulated social, political, religious, and economic life in these areas. T ...
and ''Reglamento'' the new towns in Alta California were to have four square
leagues of land; that is a distance marked by one league in each
cardinal direction
The four cardinal directions, or cardinal points, are the four main compass directions: north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials N, E, S, and W respectively. Relative to north, the directions east, south, and west are at ...
from the town center. The streets, however, were laid out at forty-five degrees from the cardinal directions, a plan which is still preserved in
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...
. The old town limits are still marked by Hoover and Indiana Streets in the west and east respectively. In 1784 an
''asistencia'' or sub-mission of the San Gabriel Mission was established on the central
plaza
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
, to provide religious services to the settlers.
Government
![La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/La_Iglesia_de_Nuestra_Se%C3%B1ora_Reina_de_los_Angeles.jpg)
The pueblo came under the jurisdiction of the
Commandancy General of the Internal Provinces in the
Viceroyalty of New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Amer ...
. As a pueblo, Los Angeles was granted a ''
cabildo'' (town council). The first municipal officers, the ''regidores'' (council members) and ''
alcalde
Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...
'' (municipal magistrate), were appointed by Governor de Neve. Subsequent ones were elected annually by the settlers, the ''
vecinos pobladores''. Since the government of Las Californias had a strong military orientation in this early phase of colonization, the civilian ''cabildo'' was originally supervised by a ''commisionado'' (commissioner) appointed by the ''
comandante'' (commander) of the
Presidio of Santa Barbara
A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th century, 16th and 18th century, 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Captaincy Genera ...
, who was charged with making sure the ''alcalde'' and ''regidores'' carried out their duties correctly. The first ''commisionado'' was
José Vicente Feliz
Jose Vicente Feliz (ca. 1741 – 1822) was a member of the 1775–76 Anza expedition that brought the first settlers to California. In 1781, he was one of four soldiers which guarded the settlers which founded the settlement of El Pueblo de Nues ...
, one of the soldiers who accompanied the original 44 settlers to the pueblo. The first recorded ''alcalde'' was José Vanegas, who served in 1786 and 1796. Vanegas was first listed as an
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
in the original 1781 ''padrón'' (register) but then as a
Mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
in the 1790 census. The next few ''alcaldes'' reflected the mixed population of the small settlement: José Sinova, a
Criollo
Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to:
People
* Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish race-based colonial caste system (the European descendants)
Animals
* Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South Ameri ...
, 1789;
Mariano de la Luz Verdugo, a Criollo, 1790; and Juan Francisco Reyes, a
Mulatto
(, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...
, 1793. Among the first ''regidores'' were Felipe Santiago García (a Criollo) and Manuel Camero (a Mulatto in the 1781 ''padrón'', and a Mestizo in 1790 census). In judicial affairs, both military and civil cases were appealed to the
Audiencia of Guadalajara.
''La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles''
On 18 August 1814 Father Luis Gíl y Taboada placed the cornerstone of a new
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
church amidst the ruins of the
original ''asistencia''. The completed structure was dedicated on 8 December 1822.
[Ruscin, p. 49.] A replacement chapel, named ''La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles'' (The Church of Our Lady of the Angels) was rebuilt utilizing materials of the original church in 1861. The term ''Reina'' (queen) was added later to reconcile the church's name with that of the town.
[Ruscin, p. 50.] The small chapel, also called "''La Placita''" and "the Plaza Church," served the total
Californio
Californio (plural Californios) is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish-speaking community has resided there sinc ...
and immigrant Roman Catholic community as the only church in the vicinity of the City of Los Angeles until the 1876 construction of the
Cathedral of Saint Vibiana
The Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, often called St. Vibiana's, is a Catholic former cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Located in Downtown Los Angeles, the building opened in 1876 as the cathedral for what was then known as the Dio ...
. Saint Vibiana Cathedral became the English-speaking parish and ''La Placita'' became the Spanish-speaking parish. "The Plaza Church" still stands today, exhibiting
Spanish Colonial and
Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures ...
architectural styles.
The Los Angeles parish was under the
Diocese of Sonora
The Archdiocese of Hermosillo ( la, Archidioecesis Hermosillensis) is a Roman Catholic Diocese, Archdiocese located in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Its area is 90,959 sq. miles, and its population (2004) 1,067,051. The bishop resides at Hermosill ...
until 1840, when a new
Diocese of the Two Californias was established to serve the
Baja California Peninsula and Alta California. Both the dioceses of Sonora and the Two Californias were suffragan of the
Archdiocese of Mexico
The Archdiocese of Mexico ( la, Archidioecesis Mexicanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that is situated in Mexico City, Mexico. It was erected as a diocese on 2 September 1530 and elevated to ...
.
Mexican independence and era
After Mexico's
War of Independence
This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence.
List
See also
* Lists of active separatist movements
* List of civil wars
* List o ...
(1810–1821) from Spain, life began to change in Los Angeles and
Alta California
Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
. With the
secularization of the missions, their land was distributed for the establishment of many more
ranchos. The Native population was displaced or absorbed into the
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
population.
Beginning about 1827, Los Angeles, now the largest pueblo of the territory, became a rival of
Monterey
Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...
for the honor of being the capital of California; was the seat of conspiracies to overthrow the Mexican authority; and the stronghold of the South California party in the bickering and struggles that lasted down to the American occupation.
In about 1834,
Richard Henry Dana, Jr. visited
San Pedro Harbor
San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located w ...
as a sailor. His book, ''
Two Years Before the Mast
''Two Years Before the Mast'' is a memoir by the American author Richard Henry Dana Jr., published in 1840, having been written after a two-year sea voyage from Boston to California on a merchant ship starting in 1834. A film adaptation under the ...
'', includes a brief depiction of the pueblo and area, then dependent on the export of cattle
hides and
tallow
Tallow is a rendering (industrial), rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides.
In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain techn ...
. In 1835 it was made a city by the Mexican Congress, and declared the capital, but the last provision was not enforced and was soon recalled. In 1836–1838, it was the headquarters of
Carlos Antonio Carrillo
Carlos Antonio Carrillo (24 December 1783 – 23 February 1852) was a Californio politician, military officer, and ranchero. He was nominated to serve as Governor of Alta California from 1837–38, in opposition to Juan Bautista Alvarado's rule. ...
, a legally named but never ''de facto'' governor of California, whose jurisdiction was never recognized in the north; and, in 1845–1847, it was the actual capital.
In 1842, a sheep rancher, pausing under an oak tree, discovered gold in
Placerita Canyon
Placerita Canyon State Park is a California State Park located on the north slope of the western San Gabriel Mountains, in an unincorporated rural area of Los Angeles County, near the city of Santa Clarita. The park hosts a variety of historic a ...
in
Rancho San Francisco
Rancho San Francisco was a land grant in present-day northwestern Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County, California. It was a grant of by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Antonio del Valle, a Mexican army officer, in recognition for his ser ...
, just north of the city sparking a minor
gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...
. In subsequent decades local mining employed
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
and
placer techniques. Land however turned out to be the more "profitable gold", as ranching and development expanded as the town and region grew.
Mexican–American War
Manifest Destiny
Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America.
There were three basic tenets to the concept:
* The special vir ...
reached California at the time of the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
(1846–1848). On June 18, 1846 a small group of
Yankee
The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United St ...
s raised the California
Bear Flag
The Bear Flag is the official flag of the U.S. state of California. The precursor of the flag was first flown during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt and was also known as the Bear Flag. A predecessor, called the Lone Star Flag, was used in an 183 ...
and declared independence from Mexico in the
Bear Flag Revolt on the Plaza in Sonoma,
Northern California
Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
. United States troops then took control of the
presidio
A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th century, 16th and 18th century, 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Captaincy Genera ...
s at
Monterey
Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...
and San Francisco, and proclaimed the invading "conquest" complete. In
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
, the Mexican citizens repelled American troops for five months, utilizing about 160
vaquero
The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...
s, or cowboys, against about 700 American forces.
Los Angeles initially surrendered to the surprise invasion by United States forces. The small Mexican forces of Los Angeles fled at the approach of US troops, and August 13, 1846 the American flag was raised over the city. A garrison of fifty US Marines under
Archibald Gillespie
Major Archibald H. Gillespie (October 10, 1812 – August 16, 1873) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the Mexican–American War.
Biography
Born in New York City, Gillespie was commissioned in the Marine Corps in 1832. He co ...
was left in control. The city's population had been rent by factional quarrels when war broke out between
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and the United States, but the occupation caused both factions to unite against the invading Americans. Gillespie's garrison was compelled to withdraw in October when the residents, Californio Lancers, vaqueros on horseback without firearms, only lances, revolted and chased the US occupying force back to the San Pedro Harbor. Los Angeles was not retaken until Commodore Stockton again captured the city on January 10, 1847, after the battles at the
Siege of Los Angeles
The siege of Los Angeles was a military response by armed Mexican civilians to the
August 1846 occupation of the Pueblo de Los Ángeles by the United States Marines during the Mexican–American War. It is also known as the ''Battle of Los A ...
,
Battle of Dominguez Rancho
The Battle of Dominguez Rancho or The Battle of the Old Woman's Gun or The Battle of Dominguez Hills took place on October 8th and October 9th, 1846, was a military engagement of the Mexican–American War that took place within Manuel Domin ...
,
Battle of San Pasqual,
Battle of Rio San Gabriel
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
and the
Battle of La Mesa
The Battle of La Mesa was the final battle of the California Campaign during the Mexican–American War, occurring on January 9, 1847, in present-day Vernon, California, the day after the Battle of Rio San Gabriel. The battle was a victory for ...
. These battles, in which the
Californios
Californio (plural Californios) is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californians, Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish language, Spanish-s ...
were greatly outmanned and outgunned, represented the important overt resistance to the establishment of the American regime in the
Los Angeles Basin
The Los Angeles Basin is a sedimentary Structural basin, basin located in Southern California, in a region known as the Peninsular Ranges. The basin is also connected to an wikt:anomalous, anomalous group of east-west trending chains of mountai ...
. Lieutenant-Colonel
Frémont and
Governor of Alta California Andrés Pico signed the
Treaty of Cahuenga
The Treaty of Cahuenga ( es, Tratado de Cahuenga), also called the Capitulation of Cahuenga (''Capitulación de Cahuenga''), was an 1847 agreement that ended the Conquest of California, resulting in a ceasefire between Californios and Americans. ...
, an informal agreement to cease fighting in California at the
Campo de Cahuenga in the
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
in January 1847. Under the later comprehensive 1848
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( es, Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo), officially the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is the peace treaty that was signed on 2 ...
, Mexico formally ceded nearly half its nation's total territory, including Alta California, to the United States.
Modern state park
![LA founding historical monument](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/LA_founding_historical_monument.jpg)
A 1920s restoration drive led by Christine Sterling began a restoration of the historic area, starting with
Olvera Street
Olvera Street (also ''Calle Olvera'' or ''Placita Olvera'', originally Calle de los Vignes, Vine Street, and Wine Street) is a historic street in downtown Los Angeles, and a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, the area immediate ...
. Today the Pueblo's original outline is preserved by the
El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
. Among its saved and restored buildings is the oldest standing residence in Los Angeles City, the 1818
Avila Adobe
The Ávila Adobe, built in 1818 by Francisco Ávila, is the oldest standing residence in the city of Los Angeles, California. Avila Adobe is located in the ''paseo'' of historic Olvera Street, a part of the Los Angeles Plaza Historic District, a ...
built by
Francisco Avila who owned
Rancho Las Cienegas
Rancho or Ranchos may refer to:
Settlements and communities
*Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad
* Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California
**List of California Ranchos
* Ranchos, Buenos ...
-''"mid Wishire area"'' and a successful cattle enterprise.
[Note: The oldest house in Los Angeles County is the Henry Gage Mansion, built in 1795 on the Rancho San Antonio site, presently ]Bell Gardens
Bell Gardens is a city in the U.S. state of California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Located in Los Angeles County, the city's population was 42,072 at the 2010 census, down from 44,054 at the 2000 census. Bell Gardens is part of the ...
. Across Olvera Street stands the 1887
Eloisa Martinez de Sepulveda House, that now is the
Los Angeles Plaza Historic District Visitors Center. The 1939 construction of the significant transit hub and architectural landmark, the Los Angeles
Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
east of the old Plaza, added to the Pueblo area's reinvigoration.
Of archaeological interest is the discovery of sections of the original brick lined ''
Zanja Madre
The ''Zanja Madre'' (, "Mother Trench") is the original aqueduct that brought water to the Pueblo de Los Angeles from the Río Porciúncula (Los Angeles River). The original open, earthen ditch, or ''zanja'' was completed by community laborers ...
''-the ''Mother Ditch'', which was a "surface and underground" gravity fed
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
and
aqueduct, that brought water from the
Rio Porciuncula-Los Angeles River near the
Arroyo Seco confluence, to the colonial pueblo and later the American city into the latter 19th century.
See also
*
Los Angeles Plaza Historic District
LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to:
Science and technology
* Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation
* Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers
* Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...
*
Zanja Madre
The ''Zanja Madre'' (, "Mother Trench") is the original aqueduct that brought water to the Pueblo de Los Angeles from the Río Porciúncula (Los Angeles River). The original open, earthen ditch, or ''zanja'' was completed by community laborers ...
*
Laws of the Indies
The Laws of the Indies ( es, Leyes de las Indias) are the entire body of laws issued by the Spanish Crown for the American and the Asian possessions of its empire. They regulated social, political, religious, and economic life in these areas. T ...
Notes
References
*Poole, Jean Bruce and Tevvy Ball. ''El Pueblo: The Historic Heart of Los Angeles''. Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2002.
*Ríos-Bustamante, Antonio. ''Mexican Los Ángeles: A Narrative and Pictorial History''. Nuestra Historia Series, Monograph No. 1. Encino: Floricanto Press, 1992.
*Ruscin, Terry. ''Mission Memoirs''. San Diego: Sunbelt Publications, 1999.
External links
Map Of The City Of Los Angeles — Showing the Confirmed Limits Surveyed in August 1857; by Henry Hancock U.S. Dep. Survey. ''Plan de la Ciudad De Los Angeles''. Surveyed by E.O.C. Ord, Lt. U.S.A. and Wm. R. Hutton, Assistant, August 29, 1849…— ''C. A. Bancroft, & J. S. Thayer, & W. H. J. Brooks; San Francisco, 1875. vi
RareMaps.com. accessed 11.23.2010''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pueblo De Los Angeles
History of Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
Colonial settlements in North America
Spanish mission settlements in North America
*
Populated places established in 1781
1781 in Alta California
1781 establishments in Alta California
Downtown Los Angeles
History of Los Angeles County, California
Butterfield Overland Mail in California
Old Spanish Trail (trade route)
1781 establishments in New Spain