Spanish Settlement

Title

Spanish Settlement

Description

At the end of the Seven Years War (1756-1763), Spain established permanent colonies in Alta California (now known as California), which Cabrillo had claimed in 1542. Based on the Recopilación de las leyes de los reynos de las Indias (1680), the Law of the Indies, Spain aimed to transform native Californians into Catholics and productive Spanish citizens. The Spanish colonial system was based on three institutions–missions, pueblos, and presidios–established along the coast to protect and supply food for the Manila galleons, trading ships that transported goods from the Philippine colony back to Spain. The Alta California settlements were restricted to trading solely with the Spanish Galleons.

The Spanish built four presidios in Alta California–San Diego, Monterey, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara–to protect the missions and pueblos and control the enslaved Native American laborers. Three pueblos–San José de Guadalupe, Los Angeles, and Villa Branciforte–were established as civilian communities, occupied by retiring soldiers from the presidios, soldiers’ families, and settlers.

Scholar Talk

https://vimeo.com/811383322/ee7b849dd1

https://vimeo.com/811383418/8499406996

Additional Online Information

Spanish California | Library of Congress

The Missions | Library of Congress

Early California Exploration and Settlement — Calisphere

Hispanic Americans: Spanish Colonization and Californios, 1769-1800s — Calisphere

California Missions — Calisphere

Five Views: An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California (American Indians)

Identifier

B4SV Exhibit Topic One: Slide 003