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California 175 - Afro-Latino Legacy during the 1850 Compromise - 2026 Black History Month
California 175 - 2026 Black History Month offers a very special time to probe deeply throughout the libraries, archives and private collections as the FIFA-World Cup descends upon Casa Mexico in the birth home of Los Angeles, California
Afro Latinos and the development of El Pueblo de Los Angeles - 2026 Casa Mexico - World Cup
Among the earliest non-indigenous residents of Los Angeles, California were people of Pan African ancestry who descended from both free and enslaved prisoners of war taken to Mexico during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Trans Atlantic trade in human cargo.
Anza Expedition
In 1775-1776 Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza led an expedition, with the aid of Native Americans, brought some 240 men, women, and children on an epic journey from northern Sonora, Mexico to today’s San Francisco California.
Out of the roughly 240 settlers who took part in the Anza expedition, many were Afro-Latinos, or people of mixed-African, Indigenous, and Spanish ancestry.
These Afro-Latinos, as they have come to be called, helped shape the character of California by blazing trails and establishing towns and ranches that grew into major cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Monterey, Sacramento and San Jose.
Several amassed considerable fortunes and acquired high-ranking positions in the military and government.
Some notable examples of Afro-Latinos who played prominent roles in California’s development were Juana Briones, Manuel Nieto, Tiburcio Tapia, William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. and Pío Pico.
The Anza expedition brought Pico’s parents, José Maria Pico and Maria Gutierrez, from Mexico to Alta California as children. Their families settled at Mission San Gabriel and thrived in the military, politics, trade, and property development.
Pio de Jesus Pico
Pío Pico came from a very well-known Afro Latino family that became one of the most wealthy and powerful men in Mexican-era California.
In addition to his success in acquiring extensive landholdings including a 133,331 acre land grant, Pio Pico served Alta California’s last Governor under Mexican rule.
His adobe home at “El Ranchito” has been completely restored to how it appeared in the 1800’s and can be visited today on a five acre park encompassing historic gardens registered as California Historic Landmark NO. 127. Pío Pico State Historic Park
In 1869 Pico sold some property and spent $85,000 of the proceeds to build the grand, three-story Pico House Hotel — the most modern in Los Angeles at the time.
The still-impressive, 82-bedroom Pico House Hotel stands on L.A.’s downtown central plaza, part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument.
The extensive and golden legacy of early California Pioneers of Pan African heritage is often discounted, disparaged and/or destroyed, so I challenge you to look deeper into history and our collective world history.
Among the earliest non-indigenous residents of Los Angeles, California were people of Pan African ancestry who descended from both free and enslaved prisoners of war taken to Mexico during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Trans Atlantic trade in human cargo.
Anza Expedition
In 1775-1776 Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza led an expedition, with the aid of Native Americans, brought some 240 men, women, and children on an epic journey from northern Sonora, Mexico to today’s San Francisco California.
Out of the roughly 240 settlers who took part in the Anza expedition, many were Afro-Latinos, or people of mixed-African, Indigenous, and Spanish ancestry.
These Afro-Latinos, as they have come to be called, helped shape the character of California by blazing trails and establishing towns and ranches that grew into major cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Monterey, Sacramento and San Jose.
Several amassed considerable fortunes and acquired high-ranking positions in the military and government.
Some notable examples of Afro-Latinos who played prominent roles in California’s development were Juana Briones, Manuel Nieto, Tiburcio Tapia, William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. and Pío Pico.
The Anza expedition brought Pico’s parents, José Maria Pico and Maria Gutierrez, from Mexico to Alta California as children. Their families settled at Mission San Gabriel and thrived in the military, politics, trade, and property development.
Pio de Jesus Pico
Pío Pico came from a very well-known Afro Latino family that became one of the most wealthy and powerful men in Mexican-era California.
In addition to his success in acquiring extensive landholdings including a 133,331 acre land grant, Pio Pico served Alta California’s last Governor under Mexican rule.
His adobe home at “El Ranchito” has been completely restored to how it appeared in the 1800’s and can be visited today on a five acre park encompassing historic gardens registered as California Historic Landmark NO. 127. Pío Pico State Historic Park
In 1869 Pico sold some property and spent $85,000 of the proceeds to build the grand, three-story Pico House Hotel — the most modern in Los Angeles at the time.
The still-impressive, 82-bedroom Pico House Hotel stands on L.A.’s downtown central plaza, part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument.
The extensive and golden legacy of early California Pioneers of Pan African heritage is often discounted, disparaged and/or destroyed, so I challenge you to look deeper into history and our collective world history.
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