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Californian History

Californian history

The first Europeans to approach California came from the south. Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century sailed northward from the ports of Acapulco and Navidad along the west coast of what is today Mexico. They came in search of gold and the water route to Asia through North America. Among the most important of these early explorers were Hernán Cortés, Fortún Jiménez, and Francisco de Ulloa. They sailed along the coast of Baja (or Lower) California.
Hernán Cortés, a Spanish adventurer and conquistador, was chiefly responsible for the European discovery of the lower part of what the Spanish called "the Californias." In 1519 Cortés and about 500 Spanish soldiers arrived in Mexico. After defeating the Aztecs in 1521, he declared the conquered lands to be a colony of Spain.
One of the most pressing problems in the early days of Spanish California was providing a sufficient food supply for the soldiers at the military forts. Government officials attempted to solve this problem by founding civilian towns, or pueblos, in northern and southern California.
To attract settlers to the new towns, the government provided free land, cattle, farming equipment, no taxes for the first five years and certain other privileges. In return for this aid, the settlers were required to sell their spare agricultural products to the military forts.
The first city to be established was San José, founded in 1777. It was followed in 1781 by El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula, also known as Los Angeles.