Description
This collection contains reproductions of documents related to the original land grant for the pueblo of San Diego in 1834;
the Board of Land Commissioners’ confirmation of the grant in 1854; decree from 1869 confirming settled land claims; and the
private land grant for Rancho San Jacinto Viejo to Jose Antonio Estudillo and his family.
Background
In the 1830s, following Mexico’s independence from Spain, Alta California became a department of the Mexican republic. Under
the legacy of Spanish colonial law which Mexico continued to enforce, a pueblo could be formed by the election of certain
municipal officials, including a mayor (alcalde), two councilmen (regidores), and a legal advisor/advocate (sindico). These
municipal authorities then organized a civil government, or ayuntamiento, and were then entitled to a land grant from the
Mexican public domain.