Californeros

Californios included both the descendants of European settlers from Spain and Mexico , and also included Mestizos and local Native Americans who adopted Spanish culture and converted to Catholicism . Much of Californio culture and society lived at or near the many Missions , which were established in the 18th and 19th Centuries . Some Americans became honorary Californios due to their early arrival, marriage to Californio women, and their adoption of, and adaptation to, Spanish culture and religion.

Richard Henry Dana, Jr. , recorded his 1834 visit as a sailor to California in '' Two Years Before The Mast ''.

The end of Californio culture is depicted in the novel '' Ramona '', written by Helen Hunt Jackson in 1884 . The fictional Zorro has grown to become the most identifiable Californio due to Short Stories , Motion Pictures and Television ; although the historical truth of the era is sometimes lost in the story-telling.

NOTABLE CALIFORNIOS