UC Merced The Journal of California Anthropology Title Portola's 1769 Expedition and Coastal Native Villages of San Diego County Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68k9x90h Journal The Journal of California Anthropology, 4(1) Author Carrico, Richard L Publication Date 1977-07-01 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California 30 THE JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA ANTHROPOLOGY Portola's 1769 Expedition and Coastal Native Villages of San Diego County RICHARD L. CARRICO N July 14, 1769, a Spanish exploring Diego until January 24, 1770. Oparty led by Don Caspar de Portola In an early entry of his narrative, Miguel left San Diego for a trip northward to Monterey. Costanso noted that six soldiers and a corporal Although the men and animals were tired from had been sent ahead of the party to scout the an earlier trek to San Diego, Portola realized easiest access and find campsites with water the necessity to push on toward Monterey as and pasture (Costanso 1911, II: 167). Follow­ part of an over-all plan to chart the coastal ing the scouts were Native Americans "with regions of New CaUfornia and discover suit­ spades, pick-axes, crowbars, axes and other able locations for the nascent mission and implements ... to cut brush and to open a presidio system (Van Hement and Teggart passage wherever necessary" (Van Hement and 1910, L127). Teggart 1910, 1:129-130). Accompanying Portola on his trip north As in the case with most early European was Father Juan Crespi, a Franciscan who explorers, Portola was preceded by knowl­ greatly aided Father Junipero Serra in estab- edgeable natives who followed known trails Ushing the mission chain in New California, and landforms. What may have appeared as an and Miguel Costanso, a cartograpUer who was awesome uncharted wilderness to Europeans later instrumental in drawing up the plans for was to the Indians a friendly and familiar land the Monterey presidio. It was Crespi and crisscrossed with an elaborate trail network of Costanso who took copious and informative great antiquity (Davis 1961). notes allowing us to recount that eventful July Leaving the base camp near the Indian trip. Second in command was Lt. Pedro Fages village of Cosoy, at the foot of Presidio HiU, the who, like Crespi and Costanso, kept a diary party followed ancient and well-worn Indian and was generally an accurate observer. trails which wound their way northward along In July, 1769, it would stiU be 13 years Mission Bay (False Bay). Just north of Mission before a permanent adobe chapel would be Bay and adjacent to Rose Canyon (Fig. 1) the completed on Presidio Hill above what later explorers encountered a large Indian village became Old Town, San Diego. Prior to their which they named Rinconada (Spanish for departure the 63 men of Portold's exploration 'corner'). The Spaniards gave the Indians party received a High Mass in a rude brush presents and, in general, enjoyed a peaceful shack which served as a temporary chapel and amiable exchange (Palou 1926, 11:110- (Palou 1926,11:11). The men prayed for salva­ 111). tion and safe-keeping as they prepared to leave As they had approached Rinconada, Cres­ on a trip which would not return them to San pi noted large quantities of rosemary, live oaks 32 THE JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA ANTHROPOLOGY r^—^LOS CHRISTIANOS / ^ JULY22-i^V ^Sjj, LAS PULGAS I J^SANTA MARGARITA JULY 21 -^'"^^ \ J^ JULY 20-'^'''^ \ KEISH -® IKALMALy JULY 18- SBUENA VISTA y-f^ JULY 17- AGUA HEDIONDA r ^ fBATEOUITOS / / ^ . LOS ENCINOS JULY 16 SAN ELIJOy ^y SAN DIEGUITO' JULY 15 PORTOLA'S TREK JULY 1769 YSTAGUA t, , RINCONADA JULY 14 ^^PRESIDIO de SAN Ur CO COSOY r/c Fig. 1. Indian villages of coastal San Diego County as seen by Portoli in July, 1769. COASTAL VILLAGES OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY 33 (Quercus agrifolia), rabbits, and hares. In MuriUo raped an Indian woman from Rincon noting these plants and animals, Crespi was village" (Jayme 1970:43) and that soldiers had documenting major food sources for proto- "turned their animals into their [the natives'] historic Kumeyaay of San Diego County. field and they ate up their crops" (1970:39). Although the acorn from the black oak {Quer­ The 1772 rape, the skirmish with Fages, cus kelloggii) was favored by Indians, the live and repeated contact with Spaniards could oak was used as a supplement. Hares and have left Rinconada villagers malcontented or rabbits were also of prime importance to native vengeful. However, Captain Fernando Rivera inhabitants of San Diego County as witnessed y Moncada later reported in an informe to the by accounts from both the eighteenth and Spanish viceroy that Rinconada was not one of nineteenth centuries. the Kumeyaay rancherias which took part in In later years of the mission period, circa sacking Mission San Diego de Alcala on 1769-1832, Rinconada appeared frequently in November 5, 1775 (Rivera y Moncada 1967,11: mission records and other Spanish documents. 455). In a 1775 report to the Spanish viceroy, Pedro In mission records, Rinconada is Usted Fages noted that to pass from Monterey to San under the Spanish name of Rincon, Rincona­ Diego one had to travel through, or very close da, and by the Kumeyaay names Jamio, to, at least twenty Indian villages (Fages Japmo, and Jamo. Records for 1769 to 1772 1972:46-47). One of the twenty villages was are incomplete as a result of the 1775 burning Rinconada where Fages was subjected to a of the Mission, although at least fifteen con­ less-than-warm welcome in 1772. verts from Rinconada were recorded prior to Fages related that as he passed near Rin­ 1773 (Englehardt 1920: 47). Between 1773 and conada he was showered with stones and darts. 1806 a total of 41 persons from Rinconada He took alarm at the seriousness of the attack were given baptismal rites. The year of greatest and assumed a defensive position "to punish activity was 1778 when seven persons were the boldness of the insolent fellows, killing one baptized (Merriam 1968:160-161). or more of tUem but losing none of our men" After their brief visit at Rinconada, the (Fages 1972:47). Portola expedition traveled northeast through Although Lt. Fages and his military men a sheltered valley along a route similar to that experienced unpleasant relations with natives followed by tracks of tUe Santa Fe railroad. from Rinconada, the Franciscan priests fared This route traversed Rose Canyon and jutted better. On his various trips through Rincon­ inland from the coast. After a march of almost ada, Father Francisco Palou found the natives three hours the party camped for the night to be friendly and courteous. On one trek within the protected waUs of Rose Canyon Palou noted that the Indians treated him with near the present site of the Solar warehouse reverence and salutes which "brought tears to (Palou 1926, 11:111). the eyes of the traveUng reUgious" (Englehardt Although it was nightfall by the time the 1920:49). Spaniards arrived, this did not deter nearby The animosity between soldiers and na­ Kumeyaay villagers from walking into camp tives was increased by soldiers who grazed with offerings of sardines. Portola's party cattle on native foodstuffs and by their re­ accepted the sardines and reciprocated by peated unsavory sexual conduct and violation giving the natives trade beads and clothing of aboriginal women. In 1772, Father Luis (Palou 1926, ILllO). Jayme bemoaned the lack of discipUne among The following morning the Spaniards con­ soldiers at the presidio and noted "Jose Rafael tinued north through Rose Canyon, across Hernandez and Jose MarceUno and Julian Miramar Mesa and into Soledad or Sorrento 34 THE JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA ANTHROPOLOGY Valley. Ever mindful of their royal sponsors, times although he wrote that at least some the Spanish explorers named the place Valle de prehistoric peoples did make pottery (Spark- Santa Ysabel after the Queen of Portugal man 1908:201). (Costanso 1911, 11:466). Following the valley As in the case with Rinconada, the village to its northern end they crossed a wide meadow at Sorrento had repeated contact with behind Del Mar and entered San Dieguito Spaniards in the ensuing years. The Kumeyaay Valley which Crespi named San Jacome de la name for this village was Hispanisized as Marca and which his men christened La Poza Ystagua or Estagua. Following a tradition of de Ozuna. In total, the day's journey had taken naming geographic areas and villages after the explorers ten miles from their previous religious figures, native words were often re­ night's camp. placed witU Spanish derived placenames. For As the party approached Sorrento Valley, Ystagua the name Rancheria de la Nuestra Crespi noted that the valley looked "to us to be Seiiora de la Soledad was frequently used in nothing less than a cultivated cornfield or mission records (Merriam 1968:155). farm, on account of its mass of verdure" (Palou Between 1774 and 1800, Spanish mission­ 1926,11:111).' Adjacent to the valley on a smaU aries succeeded in baptizing at least 142 knoll the men saw a Kumeyaay village with six persons from this village or from areas associ­ brush houses. After ascertaining that the ated with it. An unusual feature of these natives were not only friendly but joyous at baptismals is that 105 were performed on their arrival, Portola and his party descended children (Merriam 1968:155). This high per­ into the valley where they found that the rich centage of children is an anomaly when com­ verdure consisted of wild large-leafed cala­ pared with records for most other Indian bashes and thickets of wild roses.