Discovering Mission San Diego de Alcalá

Discovering Mission San Diego de Alcalá — page 3 — Cortés In 1519 Cortés and his men sailed to what is now known as Mexico There they encountered a large Native group called the Aztecs whom they defeated in 1521 Cortés then claimed the Aztec’s land for Spain and renamed the area New Spain In 1542 Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was sent on a voyage to explore the west coast of North America Up until then Europeans believed California was an island Cabrillo’s detailed maps would change the way Europeans viewed that part of the world Also at that time the name Californias Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo honored with a monument in California made detailed maps of the area described the land that is now the state of California and the peninsula known today as the Baja Peninsula of Mexico The state of California was then called Alta or upper California while the Baja Peninsula was known as Baja or lower California The last of the early explorers to visit California was Sebastián Vizcaíno He and his men sailed in 1602 searching for a way to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans While there they founded the cities of San Diego previously named San Miguel by Cabrillo and Monterey However since their journey did not lead to discovering a water route or desired riches Spain decided not to send any more people there One hundred sixty years would pass before more Spanish explorers would come to California 6

Discovering Mission San Diego de Alcalá — page 4 — 2 The Kumeyaay Before the Spanish came to settle Alta California in the 1760s the land’s Native population was large and diverse Because there are no written records no one knows when the first Native people arrived in the area It is estimated that around 20,000 years ago people crossed a bridge of land between Alaska and Russia and gradually settled in small groups called tribes all along California’s coast Each group had its own language and beliefs Several villages could belong to the same tribe and in each village there was a leader called a chief The Native group living near the San Diego area was known as the Kumeyaay They lived in villages near the ocean or the San Diego River Kumeyaay Way of Life Little is known about the Kumeyaay prior to the Spanish arriving in the area Historians have examined artifacts and records written by Spanish explorers to understand how the group lived and operated According to historians the Kumeyaay were resourceful people living off the land and making tools and weapons and building homes from the resources in their environment Using bark 7

Discovering Mission San Diego de Alcalá — page 5 — brush and grass they built ewaas or dome-shaped houses Each ewaa likely had its own fire pit and a hole in its roof so the fire’s smoke could escape Weapons such as spears arrowheads and snares were made from wood stone flint and obsidian The Kumeyaay were a nomadic people meaning they moved from place to place to find food during the different seasons They had the freedom to live life as they pleased Each village had a specific winter and summer location to which they migrated when the weather changed They lived close to the land remaining near Kumeyaay houses called eewas were created from brush and branches Here a Kumeyaay woman sits in front of her traditional house 8

Discovering Mission San Diego de Alcalá — page 6 — The Kumeyaay wove intricate baskets with unique designs Some of these baskets are on display at the Museum of Man in San Diego areas abundant in sources of natural foods Over time they also developed harvesting techniques that were passed on from generation to generation They would know when to harvest plants and at which time in a plant’s life to do it The men were hunters and fishermen They used many different handmade tools to hunt food such as rabbit deer duck fish and clams The most important staple food was the acorn Acorns could be stored for long periods of time and ground to make flour for breads and other food The Kumeyaay were also skilled in making tightly woven baskets Women usually made them and they were used for food storage cooking and carrying water These baskets were also used as women’s hats 9

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