Editing New Spain (section)

====California====
In 1602, [[Sebastián Vizcaíno]], the first Spanish presence in the 'New California' (''Nueva California'') region of the frontier [[Las Californias]] province since Cabrillo in 1542, sailed as far north up the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific Coast]] as present-day [[Oregon]], and named California coastal features from [[San Diego]] to as far north as [[Monterey Bay|the Bay of Monterrey]].

Not until the eighteenth century was California of much interest to the Spanish crown, since it had no known rich mineral deposits or indigenous populations sufficiently organized to render tribute and do labor for Spaniards. The [[California gold rush|discovery of huge deposits of gold]] in the Sierra Nevada foothills did not come until after the U.S. had added California following the [[Mexican–American War]] (1846–48).

By the middle of the 1700s, the Catholic order of [[Jesuits]] had established a number of missions on the [[Baja California peninsula|''Baja'' (lower) California peninsula]]. Then, in 1767, [[Charles III of Spain|King Charles III]] ordered all Jesuits expelled from all Spanish possessions, including New Spain.<ref>{{harvp|Weber|1992|p=242}}</ref> New Spain's Visitador General [[José de Gálvez]] replaced them with the [[Dominican Order]] in Baja California, and the [[Franciscans]] were chosen to establish new northern missions in [[Alta California|''Alta'' (upper) California]].

In 1768, Gálvez received the order to "Occupy and fortify San Diego and Monterey for God and the King of Spain". The Spanish colonies there, having far fewer known natural resources and less cultural development than Mexico or Peru, were to combine establishing posts to defend the territory with a perceived responsibility to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism.

The method used to "occupy and fortify" was the established Spanish colonial system: [[Spanish Missions of California|missions]] (''misiones'', between 1769 and 1833 twenty-one missions were established) aimed at converting the [[Indigenous peoples of California|Native Californians]] to Catholicism, [[presidio|forts]] (''presidios'', four total) to protect the missionaries, and secular [[pueblo (disambiguation)|municipalities]] (''pueblos'', three total). Due to the region's great distance from supplies and support in México, the system had to be largely self-sufficient. As a result, the colonial population of California remained small, widely scattered and near the coast.

In 1776, the north-western frontier areas came under the administration of the new 'Commandancy General of the Internal Provinces of the North' ''([[Provincias Internas]])'', designed to streamline administration and invigorate growth. The crown created two new provincial governments from the former [[Las Californias]] in 1804; the southern peninsula became Baja California, and the ill-defined northern mainland frontier area became Alta California.

Once missions and protective presidios were established in an area, large [[Spanish land grants in California|land grants]] encouraged settlement and establishment of [[Ranchos of California|California ranchos]]. The Spanish system of land grants was not very successful; however, because the grants were merely royal concessions—not actual land ownership. Under later Mexican rule, land grants conveyed ownership, and were more successful at promoting settlement.

Rancho activities centered on cattle-raising; many grantees emulated the [[Don (honorific)|Dons]] of Spain, with cattle, horses and sheep the source of wealth. The work was usually done by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]], sometimes displaced and/or relocated from their villages. Native-born descendants of the resident Spanish-heritage rancho grantees, soldiers, servants, merchants, craftsmen and others became the [[Californios]]. Many of the less-affluent men took native wives, and many daughters married later English, French and American settlers.

After the [[Mexican War of Independence]] (1821) and subsequent [[secularization]] ("disestablishment") of the missions (1834), Mexican land grant transactions increased the spread of the rancho system. The land grants and ranchos established mapping and land-ownership patterns that are still recognizable in present-day California and New Mexico.<ref>{{harvp|Robinson|1979}}</ref>