Editing Glendora, California (section)

===Spanish period (1769–1821)===
Following the discovery of islands in what we now call the Caribbean by [[Christopher Columbus]] in 1492, a dispute arose between [[Crown of Castile|Castille (Spain)]] and [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]] about which kingdom would own new lands discovered to the west of the Atlantic Ocean. This was resolved by the [[Inter caetera|''Inter caetera'']] [[Papal bull]] from [[Pope Alexander VI]], which divided all newly discovered lands outside Europe between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile, along a meridian 100 [[League (unit)|leagues]] (370 miles/600 kilometers) west of the Cape Verde islands. This gave Portugal most of Africa and Asia, and most of the [[Americas]] to Castille (Spain). Although theoretically already granted this land by the Pope, California's Spanish colonial era began in 1542 when [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo]], commissioned by Viceroy [[Antonio de Mendoza]], became the first European to explore and claim the entire California coast for Spain. Thereafter, Spain took no action to solidify its claims over [[Alta California]] (the present-day U.S. states of California, Nevada, and neighboring areas) for over two centuries. By the late 1760s, concerned about Russian and French colonial ambitions, Spain began efforts to establish permanent settlements and fortifications in Alta California. In 1769, an expedition under [[Gaspar de Portolá]], appointed "Governor of the Californias," commenced the founding of a network of [[Spanish missions in California|missions]], [[Spanish colonial pueblos and villas in North America|pueblos]] (civilian settlements), and [[Presidio|presidios]] (military outposts). [[Junípero Serra]], leader of the Franciscan missionaries, managed the religious conversion and daily activities at these missions. To strengthen the sparse colonial population, Spanish authorities allowed and encouraged non-Spanish settlers to establish themselves in California.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hackel |first=Steven W. |title=Junípero Serra: California's Founding Father |publisher=Hill and Wang |year=2013 |pages=126–130}}</ref>

Spain’s colonial system in California, including land grants (ranchos), missions, and presidios, followed a pattern of indirect governance and religious conversion inspired by the [[Iqta']] system used by Muslim conquerors during their [[Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula|rule in Spain (711–1492)]]. The area of modern Glendora fell under the jurisdiction of [[Mission San Gabriel Arcángel]], founded in 1771, which had direct ecclesiastical and administrative oversight, including managing local affairs, overseeing agricultural production, and compelling local Tongva peoples into labor under harsh, slave-like conditions. The indigenous population had no natural immunity to [[Old World]] [[Native American disease and epidemics|diseases introduced by settlers]], in particular [[small pox]], or by their [[livestock]] (which brought [[influenza]], [[anthrax]], [[leptospirosis]], and [[bovine tuberculosis]]), resulting in major population declines. 

The nearest colonial civilian settlement to present-day Glendora was [[Pueblo de Los Ángeles|El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles]] (present-day Los Angeles), founded in 1781. Beyond the relatively small contingents of soldiers at the pueblo and at the mission, military protection for the region was provided by presidios at [[Presidio of San Diego|San Diego]] (founded in 1769) and [[Presidio of Santa Barbara|Santa Barbara]] (founded in 1782).<ref>{{cite book|last=Engstrand|first=Iris H.W.|title=San Diego: California's Cornerstone|publisher=Sunbelt Publications|year=2005|pages=45–49}}</ref> Glendora during this period was sparsely-populated except for free-roaming cattle and seasonal use by the dwindling population of Tongva who had not been forcibly brought to live near, and put in service of, the San Gabriel Mission.

By the end of the Spanish period (circa 1820–1821), the Tongva population of the Los Angeles Basin, including the San Gabriel Valley, had dramatically declined from an estimated 5,000–10,000 in pre-contact times to approximately 1,500 individuals, largely due to the introduction of Old World diseases, the disruption of traditional ways of life, and harsh conditions under missionization.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCawley|first=William|title=The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles|year=1996|publisher=Malki Museum Press|location=Banning, California|pages=197–198}}</ref>