Other names: Obispeño, Ventureño, Barbareño, Purisimeño, Yneseño, Canalino Home region: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, as well as the Channel Islands, east to Castaic and Mt. Pinos. Mission affiliations: San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, San Buenaventura, Santa Bárbara, La Purísima Concepción, Santa Inés Historical background: Chumash is the name given to a number of […]
California History
Junípero Serra’s Mallorca: Where it All Began
Native Americans of the San Francisco Bay Area (Part 2): Ohlone Culture
The second of a two part series. Read part 1 here. In this second part, we discuss Ohlone culture, including political organization, religion, myths, music and art, tools and crafts, the Ohlone today and Ohlone sites you can visit.
Native Americans of the San Francisco Bay Area: The Ohlone Tribe, Part 1
The Ohlone people occupied the San Francisco and Monterey Bay regions for thousands of years. Part 1 of a 2-part series. In the first part of this series, we will discuss the Ohlone name, their traditional territory, Ohlone languages, housing, food and clothes.
California Frontier Glossary: Vocabulary Words of the Mission and Presidio Era
Many words used to describe people and objects in Alta California are unfamiliar to us today.
Serra Statues: Don’t Tear Down, Build Up
Junípero Serra’s statues are being defaced. Government institutions are seeking to remove his name from public monuments. All in the name of justice. Is there a better way forward?
Indian Life at the California Missions — San Carlos Borromeo
How did native people live at Mission San Carlos Borromeo? What languages did they speak? What foods did they eat? How did they dress?
Researching the Early Days: The Sylveria Pacheco Project, Part 2
An update on an ongoing research project into the life of a Hispanic woman on the California frontier. In May, I told you about my research into the life of Sylveria Pacheco, a Californiana who had lived through Spanish, Mexican and American periods. I came across Sylveria as I was working on another project, and […]
Governors of Alta California
At the very beginning of the Spanish occupation of Alta California and until 1777, the governors were military commanders. Until 1804, governors were in charge of overseeing the province of Las Californias, both Baja and Alta California.
Researching the Early Days: The Sylveria Pacheco Project (Part 1)
What happens when a project starts out as a footnote, and then takes on a life of its own? Over the upcoming weeks and months I’ll share my research journey.
Native Americans of the California Missions: Territories, Affiliations and Descendants
Native American Tribes of the California Missions
Saving Our Stories
A few nights ago I attended a community meeting aimed at designating my county as a National Heritage Area. Throughout the United States, from Alaska to West Virginia, there are over 60 National Heritage Areas. Not one is in California.
“The Spirit Within Saint Junípero”: A Book of Stunning Photos
A Hidden Gem: Ulistac Natural Area (Video)
Once a Native American settlement and later a rancho, Ulistac Natural Area is now a great place for a kid-friendly day hike in the San Francisco Bay Area.
¡Siempre Adelante! Junípero Serra Goes to New York
A new exhibit on the life of Junípero Serra made its New York debut in. It tells the story of the missionary from Mallorca in his own words.
Happy Birthday Junipero Serra
Junipero Serra was born Miguel José Serra on November 24, 1713, in the town of Petra on the island of Mallorca, Spain, 302 years ago. You can read more about Junipero Serra’s life here.
Five Tips for Teaching Kids about the California Missions
Fourth grade is the first and last time most people learn anything about the mission period in California. In case you don’t know, the state social studies curriculum mandates that all fourth graders be able to “describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the […]
Junipero Serra Video Clarifies Some Misconceptions
The Academy of American Franciscan History has released a new video documentary on Junipero Serra, Introducing Junipero Serra: The Newest Saint. This video does a good job of avoiding the “grand narrative,” i.e., of framing Serra and the missions as part of a struggle between good guys vs. bad guys. Instead, in Introducing Junipero Serra, we something more resembling […]
The Five Reasons Pope Francis Canonized Junípero Serra
Note: this is an updated version of an earlier post written at the time of Serra’s canonization. Catholics and non-Catholics alike seem to be interested in whether Junipero Serra should be declared a saint. In the previous post I gave an outline of the long process that Junipero Serra — or any other would-be saint — must undergo […]
The Seven Steps to Sainthood for Junipero Serra
When Pope Francis announced that he was going to declare sainthood for Junipero Serra during a flight to Manila in January 2015, some people took it as an impromptu decision. And while the announcement might have been made on the spur of the moment, the process that led to it was anything but. When the Catholic Church declares […]