Editing Monterey, California (section)

=== Mexican period ===
[[File:Augustin_Zamorano.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Agustín V. Zamorano]] established his Monterey [[printer (publishing)|print shop]] in 1834, becoming California's first publisher.]]
Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, but the civil and religious institutions of Alta California remained much the same until the 1830s, when the [[secularization]] of the missions converted most of the mission pasture lands into private land grant [[Ranchos of California|ranchos]]. In 1834, the [[San Carlos Cemetery (Monterey, California)|San Carlos Cemetery]] was officially opened and [[interred]] many of the early local families.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Walton |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0bEwDwAAQBAJ |title=Storied Land: Community and Memory in Monterey |date=December 2003 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-22723-1 |language=en}}</ref> [[Agustín V. Zamorano]] established the first print shop in California, when he brought a [[printing press]] to Monterey, in the summer of 1834.<ref>[https://dh.scu.edu/exhibits/collections/show/139#? Zamorano Printing Press History]Santa Clara University Digital Collections.</ref><ref>Roxburghe Club of San Francisco, and Grabhorn Press. 1934. ''To Commemorate the Centennial of the Printing Press in California''. [San Francisco]: [Roxburghe Club of San Francisco].</ref>

During the Mexican period, the city was determined the site of District Court of the Territory of Alta California (''Juzgado de Distrito del Territorio de la Alta California''), since 1834, when Luis del Castillo Negrete, the appointed district judge (Juez de Distrito), took possession of the court; until 1836, when due to the rebellion led by [[Juan Bautista Alvarado]], the judge left the city for the territory of Baja California, which ''de facto'' disqualified that instance and would close definitively until 1841, with a decree by [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lima Estrada |first=Eduardo |title=OJEADA SOBRE LOS JUZGADOS DE DISTRITO DE ALTA CALIFORNIA Y NUEVO MÉXICO O CRÓNICA DE SU EXISTENCIA A PARTIR DE LOS ARCHIVOS |year=2025 |isbn=9798305184969 |pages=100-125 |language=es}}</ref> Subsequently, in 1842, the Superior Court (''Superior Tribunal de Justicia del Departamento de las Californias'') was installed, which had a short life, as it stopped functioning in 1845.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lima Estrada |first=Eduardo |title=El tribunal supremo del departamento de las californias. Reflexiones sobre la importancia de la estabilidad política en el establecimiento de las instituciones |url=https://www.te.gob.mx/blogEje/front/publicaciones/busqueda/846 |access-date=}}</ref>

Monterey was the site of the [[Battle of Monterey]] on July 7, 1846, during the [[Mexican–American War]]. It was on this date that [[John D. Sloat]], Commodore in the [[United States Navy]], raised the [[Flag of the United States|U.S. flag]] over the Monterey Custom House and claimed California for the United States.

In addition, many historic "firsts" occurred in Monterey. These include [[First theater in California]], brick house, publicly funded school, public building, public library, and printing press (which printed [[The Californian (1840s newspaper)|''The Californian'']], California's first newspaper.) Larkin House,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=larkin_house |title=Larkin House |access-date=March 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009023344/http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=larkin_house |archive-date=October 9, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> one of [[Monterey State Historic Park]]'s [[National Historic Landmark]]s, built in the Mexican period by [[Thomas Oliver Larkin]], is an early example of [[Monterey Colonial]] architecture. The [[Old Custom House (Monterey, California)|Old Custom House]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=custom_house |title=Custom House |access-date=March 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005154532/http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=custom_house |archive-date=October 5, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> the historic district and the Royal Presidio Chapel are also National Historic Landmarks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=presidio_chapel |title=Royal Presidio Chapel |access-date=March 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005093721/http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=presidio_chapel |archive-date=October 5, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Cooper-Molera Adobe is a [[National Trust for Historic Preservation|National Trust]] Historic Site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=cooper_molera_adobe|title=Cooper-Molera Adobe|access-date=March 14, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005154910/http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=cooper_molera_adobe|archive-date=October 5, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>