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Before the Gold Rush of 1848-1858, Alta (Upper) California was an isolated cattle frontier--and home to a colorful group of Spanish-speaking, non-indigenous people known as Californios. Profiting from the forced labor of large numbers of local Indians, they carved out an almost feudal way of life, raising cattle along the California coast and valleys. Visitors described them as a good-looking, vibrant, improvident people. Many traces of their culture remain in California.
Yet their prosperity rested entirely on undisputed ownership of large ranches. As they lost control of these in the wake of the Mexican War, they lost their high status and many were reduced to subsistence-level jobs or fell into abject poverty. Drawing on firsthand contemporary accounts, the authors chronicle the rise and fall of Californio men and women.
List of contents
Table of ContentsPreface: Alta California and the Californios
Introduction: Californios Under Three Flags
¿1.¿Taking Possession of Alta California: The Portolá Expedition
¿2.¿The Naval Department of San Blas
¿3.¿Missions and Missionaries
¿4.¿Ranchos
¿5.¿Presidios and Soldiers
¿6.¿Pueblos and Their Inhabitants
¿7.¿A Pirate Attack on Monterey
¿8.¿The Old Spanish Trail
¿9.¿Californio Men and Californio Women
10.¿Foreigners in Alta California
11.¿Governing the Californios
12.¿Californios in the U.S.-Mexican War of 1846-1848
13.¿Land Titles
14.¿Kaleidoscope of Californio Events
15.¿Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
16.¿The Eclipse of the Old Californio Order: From Rancho to Barrio
17.¿Opinions on the Californios and Their Works
18.¿Three Young Californio Women
Conclusion: Six Calamities of Californio Life
Annotated Chronology, 1510-1890
Appendix 1: Notes on California Ports, 1769-1850
Appendix 2: Rancho Camulos
Appendix 3: Jo Mora on the Nuqueo
Appendix 4: An Interview with the Californio Bandit Tiburcio Vasquez (1835-1875)
Appendix 5: A Recipe for Puchero, a Californio Meat Stew
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Hunt Janin is an American writer living in southwestern France. He has written numerous nonfiction and scholarly books on a range of subjects, including medieval history and cross-cultural studies.Ursula Carlson is a professor emerita at Western Nevada College, Carson City, Nevada.
Summary
Before the Gold Rush of 1848-1858, Alta (Upper) California was an isolated cattle frontier - and home to a colourful group of Spanish speaking, non-indigenous people known as Californios. Drawing on firsthand contemporary accounts, the author chronicles the rise and fall of Californio men and women.
