discovery and conquest: colonization by the...

DiscoveryandConquest:ColonizationbytheSpanish

TheChumashpeoplewerethefirsttosettleinwhatisnowknownasMorroBayandalongthecoastofCaliforniaover13,000yearsago.TheChumashwerehunter-gatherersandwereadeptatfishing.Asaresultofthemlivingneartheocean,theyreliedontheirfishingskillstosurvive.Theyfishedusing“bonetridentsandfishhooksfashionedfromshell[and]usedbaitofchoppedcactusforluringsardinesintobigbaskets”.1AsthenativeswereadaptingtothelandandmakingMorroBaytheirhomelittledidtheyknow,anewgroupofpeoplewerelookingtosettleontheirgrounds.

SecondtotheChumash,thenextcivilizationtodiscoverMorroBaydidn’tarriveuntilthe1540s.Atthistime,aSpanishexplorernamedJuanCabrillohadembarkedonajourneytofindtheNorthwestPassage.AlthoughCabrillofailedinaccomplishingthistask,hemanagedtoleaveasignificantmarkonhistory.In1542,whileseekingthepassage,CabrillobecamethefirstEuropeantodiscoverthecoastofCalifornia.SpeakingaboutCabrillo’sexpeditionTerryCrossof

theMorroBayMaritimeMuseumsaidthattheship“wastheveryfirstcontactwithCaliforniaandwiththeindigenousnativesofCalifornia.”2HeledhiscrewNorthwardalongthewestcoast,namingandclaimingvariousregionsforSpain.3ItisthroughthisprocessthatMorroBay’snamewasoriginated.Whilesailingalongthecoast,a576foottallmassofrockcaughthisattention.Notingtheresemblanceoftherock’sshapetothestyleofhatswornbytheMoorsofSpain,CabrilloiscreditedwithgivingMorroRockthenameof“ElMorro”.4

CabrillowasnotthefirstEuropeantolandinMorroBayashisshipssailedonwithoutstopping.Thatwasaccomplishedin1587byPedrodeUnamuno,aSpanishnavigator.Unamuno’soriginalassignmentwastoguideaSpanishgalleontotradeinthePhilippinesandreturntofinda

suitableharborinCalifornia.AftersuccessfullyreachinganddepartingfromthePhilippines,UnamunoarrivedatthecoastofCalifornia.Unamuno’sshipanchoredatMorroBayandthe

1 Gates,DorothyL.,andJaneH.Bailey.MorroBay'sYesterdays:VignettesofOurCity'sLives&Times.ElMoroPublications,1982. 2 “ReplicaofSpanishGalleonArrivesinMorroBay.”TheTribune,SanLuisObispoTribune,2Oct.2016.3Krieger,D.(2016,October01).WhysomanyexplorersbypassedtheCentralCoast.RetrievedMay5,2019

4MorroBayNationalEstuaryProgram.(2016,September30).ExploringMorroBayHistory.

EarlyMorroBaySettlementcirca1890s.ImagecourtesyofSanLuisObispoCountyHistoryCenter.

CabrillostatueinSanDiego.ImagecourtesyofFlickruserBrianSterling.

landingpartymadeabriefexpeditionintothesurroundingland.Whilethere,theyplantedacrossmadeoutofstickstosignifySpain’sclaimtotheregion.Twodaysafterlandingonsolidground,theSpanishencounteredthenativepeopleoftheterritoryandhadabriefskirmish.TheSpanishsufferedonecasualtyandseveralinjurieswhilethenativessufferedmoredeaths.Afterthisbattle,UnamunodecidedtomoveontothenextportionoftheCaliforniacoast,thusendingthefirstEuropeanlandinginMorroBay.5

FollowingUnamunocameGaspardePortola,andhisexplorationuptheCaliforniaCoast.AsgovernorofSpanish-ruledBajaCaliforniain1767,Portolaoversawtheareaandwasrespectedbyhispeople.WiththeSpanishGovernmentfurtherexpandingsettlementsintoAlta(Upper)California,Portola,MiguelCostanso,andFathersJuanCrespiandJuniperoSerradecidedtoleadanexpeditionfromSanDiegotoSanFranciscoBayfrom1769to1770;onebylandandonebysea.TheChumashwelcomedPortola’steamwithopenarmsasFatherCrespiwrote,“Aboutsixty-fivepersonscametoseeusassoonaswearrived,andpresenteduswithasortofporridge…andeverybodylikeditverymuch”.6Portola’slandgroupof64interactedwithTheChumashandothernativetribes,inadditiontoestablishingnewsettlementsandmissionsalongtheCaliforniacoast.Abouthalfwayintothejourney,thegroupcameacrossoneofmanybays.However,thisbaywasdifferent;Therewasagiantrockinthesea.Cominguponthisloomingentity,Portola’sexpeditionrealizedthiswasthefamousElMorro.CostansoandFatherCrespiaresaidtobethefirstEuropeanstosetfootontheMorroBayRock.Portola’sexpeditionwasthestartofSpanishinfluencethroughoutCalifornia.InadditiontothemultitudeofmissionsalongElCaminoRealfromFatherSerra’smissiontospreadCatholicism,thefirsttwoSpanishpresidioswerebuiltinSanDiegoandMonterey.

ThecombinationofallthesemissionsofconquestbytheSpanishandthecenturiesofdifferentruleunderdifferentgovernmentsandcultureshasshapedMorroBaytothetownithasbecometoday.TheUnitedStateshasobviouslyplayedanenormousfactorintheculturalandsocietalregionsofMorroBay,however,thediffusionofSpanishcultureintotheheartofMorroBayremains.First,thisisevidentinthelanguagearoundtheregion.Clearly,wecanseethatthenamesofmanyplacesaroundthecitysuchasabeachandevenaparkarenamedaftertheoriginal“Morro”.TheSpanishinfluenceonlanguagehasalsoaffectedmanywordsin 5HistoricalLandmark,DeclaredbytheFilipinoAmericanNationalHistoricalSociety,CaliforniaCentralCoastChapter(October21,1995)

6Gates,DorothyL.,andJaneH.Bailey.MorroBay'sYesterdays:VignettesofOurCity'sLives&Times.ElMoroPublications,1982.

MorroBayRockatnight.ImagecourtesyofFlickruserWaFp.

EnglishandchangedthewaythatpeoplespeakinMorroBay.WecanalsoseetheSpanishinfluenceinthecuisineofMorroBayapparentinthemultipleSpanishrestaurantsaroundthecity.Fromlanguagetofoods,theSpanishconquestandcolonizationofMorroBayhadanenormousimpactonthefutureofCaliforniaandhashelpedshapethecityofMorroBaytothesmallyetbeautifultownweknowtoday.

WorksCitedBreschini,GaryS.“ThePortoláExpeditionof1769.”MontereyCountyHistoricalSociety,LocalHistoryPages--ThePortolaExpeditionof1769,2000, www.mchsmuseum.com/portola1769.html.

CaliforniaExplorers,factcards.califa.org/exp/portola.html.

“ExploringMorroBayHistory.”MorroBayNationalEstuaryProgram,29Jan.2018,www.mbnep.org/2016/09/30/exploring-morro-bay-history/.

EloisaGomezBorah(1995)FilipinosinUnamuno'sCaliforniaExpeditionof1587,Amerasia

Journal,21:3,175-184,DOI:10.17953/amer.21.3.q050756h25525n72Gates,DorothyL.,andJaneH.Bailey.MorroBay'sYesterdays:VignettesofOurCity'sLives&

Times.ElMoroPublications,1982.

“HistoricalSocietyofMorroBay.”HistoricalSocietyofMorroBay,historicalmorrobay.org/a-timeline/.

“HistoricalLandmark,DeclaredbytheFilipinoAmericanNationalHistoricalSociety,CaliforniaCentralCoastChapter,DedicatedOctober21,1995.”HistoricSiteDuringtheManila,FilipinoAmericanNationalHistoricalSociety,morro-bay.com/historical/Philippine-plaque/text-of-plaque.htm.

HISTORYINSANLUISOBISPOCOUNTY,LynneLandwehr,www.historyinslocounty.org/Timeline%20for%20Morro%20Bay.htm.

Krieger,D.(2016,October01).WhysomanyexplorersbypassedtheCentralCoast.RetrievedMay5,2019,fromhttps://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/times-past/article105438831.html

McKINNEY,JOHN.“ANaturalHistoryLessoninMorroBay.”LosAngelesTimes,LosAngelesTimes,21July2002,www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jul-21-tr-hiking21-story.html.

MorroBayNationalEstuaryProgram.(2016,September30).ExploringMorroBayHistory.RetrievedMay5,2019,fromhttps://www.mbnep.org/2016/09/30/exploring-morro-bay-history/

“MorroStrandStateBeach.”MorroBay,judy-volker.com/StateParks/MorroBayE.html.

“ReplicaofSpanishGalleonArrivesinMorroBay.”TheTribune,SanLuisObispoTribune,2Oct.2016,www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article104963971.html.

SanLuisObispo,andTribune.“ReplicaofSpanishGalleonArrivesinMorroBay.”Sanluisobispo,SanLuisObispoTribune,2Oct.2016,www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article104963971.html.

“TimelineofthePortoláExpedition.”Wikipedia,WikimediaFoundation,28Jan.2019,en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Portol%C3%A1_expedition.

Treutlein,TheodoreE.“ThePortoláExpeditionof1769-1770.”CaliforniaHistoricalSocietyQuarterly,vol.47,no.4,1968,pp.291–313.JSTOR,www.jstor.org/stable/25154307.