Californio

A Californio was a Spanish-speaking inhabitant of New Spain's and, later Mexico's, Alta California, prior to its annexation by the United States after the Mexican-American War.

Related Topics:
Spanish - New Spain - Mexico - Alta California - United States - Mexican-American War

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Californios included both the descendants of European settlers from Spain and Mexico, and also included Mestizos and local Native Americans who adopted Spanish culture and converted to Catholicism. Much of Californio culture and society lived at or near the many Missions, which were established in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some Americans became honorary Californios due to their early arrival, marriage to Californio girls, and their adoption of and adaptation to Spanish culture and religion.

Related Topics:
European - Spain - Mexico - Mestizos - Native Americans - Catholicism - Missions - 18th - 19th - Centuries

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Richard Henry Dana, Jr., recorded his 1834 visit as a sailor to California in Two Years Before the Mast.

Related Topics:
Richard Henry Dana, Jr. - 1834 - Two Years Before the Mast

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The end of Californio culture is depicted in the novel Ramona, written by Helen Hunt Jackson in 1884. The fictional Zorro has grown to become the most identifiable Californio due to short stories, motion pictures and television; though the historical truth of the era is sometimes lost in the story-telling.

Related Topics:
Ramona - Helen Hunt Jackson - 1884 - Zorro - Short stories - Motion pictures - Television

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