Visions of California

  This portrait of St. John of Capistrano was painted by José de Páez in Mexico City, sometime between late-1775 and 1776. It was ordered by St. Junípero Serra to adorn the church at Mission San Juan Capistrano, which was permanently founded in 1776. It is also likely the earliest non-indigenous artwork to permanently reside in today’s Orange County. (Courtesy of Mission San Juan Capistrano) Author's Note: This article only exists because of Dr. Marie Duggan (Professor of Global Economic History at Keene State University) with the assistance of Jennifer Ring (Mission San Juan Capistrano Archivist) and Chris Jepsen (President of the Orange County Historical Society). A big thanks to you three!! Mission San Juan Capistrano - Dating the Artifacts #1 Images of St. John of Capistrano at Mission San Juan Capistrano Mission San Juan Capistrano is full of artifacts. From the carefully inked vellum spine of one of the missionaries’ books to the carpenters’ beautifully carved leaf-and-flor...

Guaromo – the Story of a Tongva Village Territory The holes in the rock above are called “morteros.” Near this rock are many oak trees that were the source of acorns, one of the primary foods of the people who lived in what is today Orange County prior to Spanish colonization in 1769. After gathering the acorns, women would gather on this rock to grind them into a powder during the process of preparing them for consumption. The deep holes pictured here suggest long-term settlement and utility of the resources in the area. This particular rock is located in the Santiago Canyon area and may be related to the village of Guaromo. The Orange County historian Jim Sleeper once likened historical research to eating quail. “You wade through so much to wind up with so little,” he quipped. This is particularly true of the county’s Spanish and Mexican eras, spanning the years 1769-1848. Precious few resources relating to this time period have come down to us, many of which have yet to be translate...