European Contact & the Spanish Era

European Contact and the Spanish Era. The Late 1700s and Early 1800s. , While archaeological evidence puts human inhabitance here back at least 4,500 years, it is believed that the first European contact in this area may have only occurred in 1772. In less than three centuries, drastic changes to the land and Indigenous populations forever altered the courses of California's ecological and cultural histories. , , Spanish Exploration and Colonization in California , Structured exploration and colonization of Alta California began in 1769 led by Captain Gaspar de Portolá and Franciscan Father Junípero Serra. Between 1769 - 1823, 21 Spanish Missions were in operation from San Diego to Sonoma, later operating under Mexican rule. Mission San Fernando was the site of forced relocation for the Tataviam at Mapipinga (Vasquez Rocks), devastating their culture, language, population, and family ties. , , , photo captions: , · This hand-drawn illustration by Lloyd Harting in the 1960s is reminiscent of early years of Spanish contact at Vasquez Rocks. , , · Mission San Fernando photographed in a crumbling state around 1880 by Carleton Watkins. , , · Captain Pedro Fages, the Spanish Military Governor of Alta Calfornia, is believed to be the first known Spanish presence in the previously unsurveyed Agua Dulce area. , , · This 1937 map depicts Spanish and Mexican land grants in L.A. County. While Vasquez Rocks was not part of a land grant, the nearest was Rancho San Francisco which covered much of the Santa Clarita Valley. Map courtesy Los Angeles Public Library.