Counting Down the Days

As we approach our first official post on July 4th, I would like to focus on the less daily aspects of how Los Angeles has changed since its founding in 1781. Over 250 years ago in the early eighteenth century Spanish explorers and Filipino merchants had discovered the coast of Alta-California. The land’s indigenous peoples known as the Tongva resided in what is now Los Angeles County with villages that spanned across the valley. Within decades Spanish authorities established the missionary system to organize settlements. By the turn of the century Spanish settlers known as pobladores had established secular communities, military forts, and 13 missions along the west coast. However, in the 1820’s California experienced a transition in government as Mexico fought for independence from Spain. The Mexican territory of California is known for the Vaqueros and the lasting cultural effects from the era. In the middle of the 19^th century, the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American war and annexed lands including California to the United States government. The United States has controlled the region since. Los Angeles remained a very small under populated region throughout the majority of the nineteenth century. Yet, a real estate boom exploded in the 1880’s and Los Angeles became the fast paced city it is today.

In the next few weeks to come we will be looking more in depth of the individual aspects of how Los Angeles became the city it is today. Looking at the diverse history of the many ethnicities and cultures of the region, the aim is to include the shapers and movers that built the city into the diverse community it is today. While also emphasizing the traditional cultures of settlers and how communities have evolved.