SPANISH SETTLEMENTS 



SAN f RAMCISCO 

 SOLANO 



Figure 1 



Spanish settlements in Cali- 

 fornia. The dates of the 

 founding of the two pueblos 

 and of the four presidios 

 are given on pages 11 and 12. 

 12 



ON THE PACIFIC COAST 

 fed than in their tribal 

 mode of life, and with 

 perhaps greater personal 

 liberty and less work 

 than at the missions. 



Aside from those at 

 the presidios there were 

 but two pueblos proper, 

 San Jose (1776) and Los 

 Angeles (1781). Another 

 on the site of Santa Cruz, 

 Branciforte, had a brief 

 existence. The inhabi- 

 tants at San Jose and Los 

 Angeles were regarded 

 as of lower social rank 

 than those at the pre- 

 sidios, and indeed many 

 of them had but a small 

 proportion of Spanish 

 blood, being part Indian 

 or part negro. They, too, 

 enjoyed an idle liie, al- 

 though somewhat more 

 addicted to gambling and 

 other forms of vice than 

 others in the colony. 



The private rancho 

 was not in accord with 

 the aims of the Spanish 

 government, which de- 

 sired Spanish settlers in 

 remote provinces like 

 California to live in com- 

 munities. But it grew to 

 be a recognized institu- 

 tion, getting official sanc- 

 tion under certain re- 

 strictions, as that it 

 should not exceed three 

 leagues in extent or in- 

 fringe upon the terri- 

 tories of missions, pueb- 

 los, or Indian towns. 

 Under Spain there were 

 probably not more than 

 twenty such grants, these 

 usually being made to re- 

 tired officers of the pre- 

 sidial aristocracy. Under 

 Mexican rule the number 

 increased to about 600, a 



