Santa Cruz County CA Archives History - Books .....Chapter III Founding Of Pueblos 1893
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Book Title: Memorial And Biographical History Of The Coast Counties Of Central California.

CHAPTER III.
FOUNDING OF PUEBLOS.

IN the year 1795 recommendations came from Spain to the viceroy, to select a
place for the founding of a pueblo, the object being to inaugurate and encourage
the formation of secular establishments as contradistinguished from those which
were wholly under clerical control. This highly judicious policy did not in the
least detract from the credit which the church was entitled to, in its work of
subduing, and practically civilizing the Indians, since there was room then, as
there is to-day, for the State and the church, and for all churches, to work on
totally different, but perfectly harmonious lines, for the healthy development
of the country and the upbuilding of the commonwealth. If the missions or
clerical authorities had looked with favor, instead of jealousy, on the policy
of establishing pueblos, and the granting of lands to Spanish and Mexican
citizens in California, both parties might have been helpful to each other, as
in later years and under a different regime, the parties representing each, were
thus helpful. If the friars could have brought themselves to see that there was
land enough for all, and had not opposed the acquisition of land by actual
settlers, who would have become their allies in the work of converting the
people of this vast territory into a Christianized and civilized province, the
hard destructive policy of secularization might not have become necessary. It
was certainly short-sighted policy, even from the standpoint of the church,
though that church were a State institution, in so goodly, fruitful and fair a
land as this, to force the government to adopt the harsh measure that it finally
did adopt of taking away from the missions all the lands of the province,
because they were not willing that some of those lands should be occupied and
cultivated by actual settlers. Besides the government desired to encourage the
raising of grain and other supplies for the military establishments in
California, to save the expense of shipping them from great dstances. [sic]

  The pueblo of San Jose was founded in 1776; that of Los Angeles in 1781, and
that of Branciforte, near the Mission of Santa Cruz in 1797. The settlers of
these pueblos at first were mostly soldiers, whose terms had expired. Afterward,
trappers, sailors and thers [sic] who had come to the country naturally
gravitated to the pueblos. There was greater freedom of action or independence
enjoyed by the citizens of these free towns, than the same class would possess
at the missions. Under the laws of Spain, citizens of pueblos were entitled to
various rights of ownership of land, or building-lots and water, with timber and
pastorale. Under the laws of the Indies, pueblos were entitled to the absolute
control of the waters of running streams on which they were situated.

  That the pueblos did not show any thing like the progress in material
prosperity exhibited by the missions may seem strange at first sight, but as
Bancroft well says, it was because the problem was a more complicated one; and
he suggested two fatal obstacles to their success, (1) in the worthless
character of the half-bred settlers, and (2) the lack of provincial commerce to
stimulate industry.

  In the year of 1800 the populaiion [sic] of the missions (eighteen in number)
was estimated at over 13,000; and the total number of ganado mayor, horses,
cattle, etc., had increasd to over 65,000; and sheep, etc., ganado menor, to
85,000.

  The yield of grain including beans, lentils, peas, etc., for the year was
estimated at about 75,000 bushels.

  The population of the three pueblos in the same year was only about 550, and
they owned nearly 17,000 head of stock, mostly horned cattle. This of course
includes rancheros who engaged in stock-raising, outside of pueblo limits.

  According to Spanish laws, pueblos were entitled to a small guard of soldiers,
in acalde, regidores and a comisionado. This system continued down to, and even
after the change of government in 1846. Labor was mostly done in the pueblos, as
in the missions, by Indians. In the vineyards, especially in and about the
pueblo of Los Angeles, work was mainly done by Indians, even as late as late as
1875, because their labor was cheaper, and because they understood vineyard
work, particularly irrigation, better than white or American laborers, who as a
rule had had little or no experience in practical irrigation.

  There is a deal of good sense contained in Engineer M. Costanso's report of
1794, in wich [sic] he says: " The first thing to be thought of, in my opinion,
is to people the country. Presidios to support missions are well enough for a
time, but there seems to be no end of them. Some missions (in other provinces)
have been for 100 years in charge of friars and presidial guards. The remedy is
to introduce gente de razon, (people of reason) among the natives from the
beginning. Californians understand this and clamor for industrious citizens.
Each ship should carry a number of families, with a proper outfit. The king
supplies his soldiers with tools; why not the farmer and mechanic as well? They
should be settled near the missions, and mingle with the natives. Thus the
missions will become towns in twenty-five or thirty years. "

  The views of Father Salazar and Senan, who were in Mexico in 1796, are of
interest in this connection. According to Bancroft's version, the former
reported, that "the inhabitants of the pueblos were idlers, paying more
attention to gambling and playing the guitar than to tilling their lands and
educating their children; as the pagans did most of the work. Young men grew up
without restraint and wandered among the rancherias setting the Indians a bad
example, and indulging in excesses that were sure, sooner or later, to result in
disaster. The great remedy was to build up commerce, and give the colonists an
incentive to industry. Now they could not sell their produce; they obtained a
small price for what they did sell, and often they could not get the articles
they wanted in payment, or had to pay excessive rates for them "

  Father Senan's report, dated May 14,1796, at the College of San Fernando,
urged the importance of introducing a better class of; settlers; and Governor
Borica, in his correspondence with the viceroy, agreed with the views of these
fathers and favored encouragement of commerce, as the surplus products cannot be
sold.

  Governor Sola later, in 1817, urged, as essential for the development of the
agricultural and commercial resources of California, the introduction of 500
Spanish families; the opening of the overland or Colorado river route, and the
sending of, at least, two vessels to transport from here to a market, the
surplus products of the province.

  According to the laws of the Indies each pueblo was entitled to four square
leagues of land. It was expected the missions would become pueblos when the
neophytes could take possession in severalty of the lands hitherto occupied in
common under the mission system. None of these anticipated results ever came
about, as the Indians were not capable of becoming citizens in the European
sense of the word. The provincial or temporary granting of land to settlers in
California, commenced very soon after its permanent occupation by Europeans;
that is, settlers of good character were permitted to go on unoccupied lands for
the purpose of cultivating them or raising cattle, temporarily, leaving the
matter of conceding absolute title for future determination.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Memorial and Biographical History of the Coast Counties of Central California.

Illustrated.

Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the
Earliest Period of its Discovery to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of
its Auspicious Future; Illustrations and Full-Page Portraits of some of its
Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers, and Prominent
Citizens of To-day.



HENRY D. BARROWS,
Editor of the Historical Department.

LUTHER A. INGERSOLL,
Editor of the Biographical Department.

"A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendants."-Macaulay.


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