The Californias
A historic region now spanning the U.S. and Mexico.
The Californias (Las Californias) is a region spanning the United States and Mexico, comprising the U.S. state of California and the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur. Historically, it was a single Spanish province that later split into Alta and Baja California. The term is notable for its enduring use as a collective reference to these three modern states, which share geography, history, and economic ties.
Quick Facts
- Settlement type
- Region of North America
- Area (km²)
- 569329
- Population
- 43,636,740
Facts from the source article.
History
The first Spanish attempt to occupy California was made by Jesuit missionary Eusebio Kino in 1683, but his Misión San Bruno failed. A successful settlement was established in 1697 by Juan María de Salvatierra at Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó, which became the province's first permanent settlement and administrative center. The Jesuits eventually founded 18 missions in the lower two-thirds of the Baja California Peninsula. In 1767, the Jesuits were expelled, and Franciscans took over the missions; Gaspar de Portolá was appointed governor to oversee the transition. That same year, visitador José de Gálvez arrived from Spain to organize and expand the province. The name Las Californias was established by a joint dispatch to the King from Viceroy de Croix and Gálvez on January 28, 1768. Gálvez distinguished between the Antigua (old) settled area and the Nueva (new) unexplored north. As exploration advanced, the terms Alta (upper) and Baja (lower) gained favor. The single province was divided in 1804 into Alta California and Baja California. Alta California's capital was Monterey. In 1836, Las Californias was revived as a single departamento under the Siete Leyes, but the split was restored in 1847 during the Mexican–American War.
Geography
The Baja California Peninsula is bordered on three sides by water: the Pacific Ocean to the south and west, and the Gulf of California to the east. Alta California had the Pacific Ocean on its west and deserts to the east. The northern boundary was set by the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819 and remains the northern border of the U.S. states of California, Nevada, and western Utah. The eastern border of upper Las Californias was never officially defined under Spanish or Mexican rule; 1781 instructions described Alta California as the areas west of the Sierra Nevada and the lower Colorado River.
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