Posted on Thursday, September 4, 2025
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by The Association of Mature American Citizens
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On September 4, 1781, the Spanish civilian settlement that would become modern-day Los Angeles was officially founded. On that date, a procession of settlers and soldiers—having traveled from the San Gabriel Mission—arrived at a site along the Los Angeles River and established the new pueblo.
This modest pueblo bore the name El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula, which in English means “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the Porciúncula River,” a name reflecting a Marian devotion linked to the Los Angeles River, named by Father Juan Crespí during early Spanish exploration.
Governor Felipe de Neve, the Spanish governor of the Californias, orchestrated the settlement under royal orders. After seeking permission from the Crown, he organized the move and planned the town’s layout in accordance with the Laws of the Indies. The settlement was structured as four square leagues around a central plaza, with streets laid out at 45‑degree angles—a pattern still visible in Downtown Los Angeles.
The founding settlers, known as Los Pobladores, consisted of 44 individuals, representing 11 families (men, women, and children) drawn from Sonora and Sinaloa. They were accompanied by four soldiers and a couple of priests. The diverse settlers included people of Spanish, Indigenous, African, and mixed heritage—reflecting the racial and cultural blend of colonial New Spain.
Prior to the formal founding, these families endured a long, arduous journey from northern Mexico to San Gabriel, even facing a smallpox outbreak that delayed some groups. Once settled along the chosen riverside location—near the Tongva village of Yaanga—they began constructing the framework for the new pueblo.
44 settlers of varied ethnic backgrounds led by Governor Felipe de Neve, as part of Spain’s strategy to bolster its presence in Alta California. This multicultural pueblo would evolve from a modest agricultural community into one of the world’s great metropolises.
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