Today is the official celebration of the 234th anniversary of the founding of the City of Los Angeles. This is the official date, although there is reason to believe, from the distance of 234 years, that that date may be arbitrary. What matters, though, is that we have a date we can use for our birthday celebrations. El pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río de Porciuncula It's a grand name, and it is debated whether it is even accurate, and to what extent. Whatever the name, however, it is surely grander than the tiny pueblo that sprang up near río Porciuncula, or what we now call the Los Angeles River. The indigenous people who lived here then were called Tongva after their eponymous Uto-Aztecan language. They called the region Yaa. Their village nearest the pueblo was called Yang-naa (there are various spellings), and they held council at the base of the then-400-year-old sycamore tree that grew in the fertile soil on the banks of the Los Angeles River and which came to be called el Aliso by the settlers. |
About the AuthorLawrence Bouett is a retired research scientist and registered professional engineer who now conducts historical and genealogical research full-time. A ninth-generation Californian, his primary historical research interests are Los Angeles in general and the Stone Quarry Hills in particular. His ancestors arrived in California with Portolá in 1769 and came to Los Angeles from Mission San Gabriel with the pobladores on September 4, 1781. Lawrence Bouett may be contacted directly here.
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