Encarnación Castro’s Journey In The Anza Expedition 1775-1776: And the Founding of San Francisco and San Jose, California

By Linda Castro Martinez

Eight-year-old Encarnación Castro embarked on a life-altering journey that challenged her endurance and resolve. Her life would never be the same. Encarnación was a precocious eight-year old Mestiza (Spanish-Indian) child from Villa de Sinaloa, Nueva España. Intellectual curiosity and strength of will were her personal mantra. Encarnación’s family had been recruited as soldier-settlers in Lieutenant Colonel Juan Bautista Anza’s Expedition of 1775-1776. On the expedition, her father was a “soldado de cuera,” a leather-jacket soldier, who protected the expedition. After ten years of military service, the Spanish King promised land grants to those who served. The Anza Expedition’s goal was to settle San Francisco, Alta California and to found a mission there.

Stalked and attacked by Apache warriors, tested by hostile environments, burdened by the shortage of food and water, grief-stricken over the loss of loved ones, the Castro’s 1800-mile journey defied human fortitude and expectations. There was no turning back for Encarnación and her family. The Anza caravan, made up of 240 men, women and children, traveled over eight months. What began as a promising adventure for Encarnación and her family, became an existential struggle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781636305806

Book preview

Table of Contents

Cover

Title

Copyright

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Chapter 1 Nature's Apocalypse

Chapter 2 The Commitment

Chapter 3 Adjustment, Adaptation, and Acclimation

Chapter 4 Moving Pueblo

Chapter 5 Pima (Akimel O'odham) Territory

Chapter 6 Unsettling Experiences

Chapter 7 Humane Interaction

Chapter 8 Treacherous Path

Chapter 9 Better Surroundings

Chapter 10 Mission San Gabriel Interlude

Chapter 11 Vayan Subiendo!

Chapter 12 El Presidio de Monterey

Chapter 13 San Francisco Exploratory Expedition

Chapter 14 Establishment of el Presidio de San Francisco and Mission Dolores

Chapter 15 El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe

Epilogue

Historical Sources

About the Author

cover.jpg

Encarnación Castro’s Journey In The Anza Expedition 1775-1776

And the Founding of San Francisco and San Jose, California

Linda Castro Martinez

ISBN 978-1-63630-578-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63630-579-0 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-63630-580-6 (Digital)

Copyright © 2020 Linda Castro Martinez

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

This book is dedicated to my mom (a Castro), the children of the Anza Expedition, my grandchildren, Julia Rose, Esmé, and Benjamin.

Foreword

In 1776, thirteen British colonies declared their independence from Great Britain while seventy-one Spanish men and 106 Spanish women and children settled San Francisco, California. The iconic City by the Bay was founded by the Anza Expedition, which included eight-year-old Encarnación Castro, the narrator of this book, who describes her unique and perilous nine-month odyssey from Sinaloa, New Spain (Mexico), to San Francisco.

In 1775, the King of Spain, Charles III, ordered Lieutenant Colonel Juan Bautista Anza to organize and lead an expedition of soldier-settlers to establish a presidio (fort) in San Francisco. The king needed to protect that key area, with one of the largest natural harbors in the world, from falling into the control of England or Russia. With the promise that the king would grant land to the soldier-settlers, the men and their families volunteered for the epic trip to unchartered territory. One of those men was Joaquín Ysidro Castro, a Mestizo (Spaniard and native Indian), who was the father of Encarnación. He became a soldado de cuera (a leather-jacketed soldier). King Charles III outfitted the colonists with tools, armaments, tents, food and over 450 horses, 500 Texas Longhorn cattle, and 140 mules to carry the provisions.

The author, Linda Castro Martinez, a descendant of the Castro family, accurately chronicles the dates and route of the Anza Expedition by citing the diary of Lieutenant Colonel Juan Bautista Anza and the diary of Padre Font, a Catholic priest, who also made the journey. The reader travels with Encarnación and the moving pueblo from Villa de Sinaloa, Sinaloa, Nueva España (Mexico), north to Arizona, across the barren desert through the Imperial Valley of California, and north through the Anza-Borrego desert of Riverside County, up through the San Gabriel Valley, across Griffith Park in Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, then up to Monterey County and, finally, to San Francisco.

We experience, through the eyes and spirit of the precocious and inquisitive eight-year-old child, Encarnación, the hardships of the trek, the caravan's daily ritual of prayer and weekly Catholic Mass, the arduous routine of pitching and packing up the tents, keeping the livestock safe and moving in unison, preparing meals and, at times, going without water. The families encounter the parched sands of the Colorado Desert, the freezing weather of the Anza-Borrego high desert, and the constant fear of unknown perils, such as fierce animals and native Indians. We learn that Lieutenant Colonel Anza forged a peaceful relationship with most of the native Indians on his 1774 exploratory route, and that on this journey, some of the Yuma and the Pima nations gave them food and helped the caravan ford the Colorado River. Encarnación relates how Yuma Indian men and women waded into the running water and guided the horses with their precious cargo of Encarnación, other little expedition children, and the rest of the settlers. We chuckle as she describes Padre Garcés being carried across the river, face up and stiff as a board, on the shoulders of three Yuma natives.

We shudder when Encarnación describes the fear instilled when she learns that Apaches raided the Presidio de Tubac, near Tucson, and stole 500 horses and mules. We marvel at the sight that she describes of hundreds of men, women, and children of the Pima nation, who lined up on each side of their village path. The Pimas welcomed the caravan near the Gila River, then later hosted a feast in their honor, complete with music and dancing. We are fascinated by Encarnación's description of the skillful vaqueros, (cowboys) who kept the hundreds of livestock in unison while traveling. Visions of the ill-fated Donner Party arise when Encarnación details the night in the Anza-Borrego desert that the families had to huddle close to each other in the tents to keep from freezing and that two horses and one mule froze to death. We joyfully discover that a child, Salvador Ignacio Linares, was born on Christmas Eve 1775, in present-day Anza-Borrego Springs State Park, California.

The Anza Expedition, we find, is just as remarkable a land voyage as the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806, which contained thirty-one members, all men—mostly young soldiers, except for Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who led the group some of the way. In the Anza Expedition, most of the members were women and children who walked or rode the entire 1800-mile, nine-month route through uncharted and hazardous wilderness. It was a testament to the organizational skills of Lieutenant Colonel Anza and his soldier-settlers that only one person died on the trip, a mother giving birth to her child, and that eight babies were born on the journey.

Indeed, the book dispels the traditional story that the settlement of the United States was an east-to-west movement of colonists. It shows the true fact that the initial exploration and settlement of the Southwestern states was of people from Spain and Mexico. Furthermore, the author briefly details the significant contributions made to the founding of California by the Castro family, Encarnación's descendants and the author's ancestors.

Most importantly, we see the love and cohesiveness of the families on this arduous odyssey. No child died, suffered a serious injury, or was lost on this journey.

Frederick P. Aguirre

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank my husband, Frederick Aguirre, for encouraging me to write this book. He read my manuscript several times, offering valuable suggestions. I also wish to thank all of my family, immediate and extended, who also urged me to write this book. Many thanks to Robert Castro Jr. and Gabriela Angulo-Quigley for some of the beautiful illustrations. It is interesting to note that the author and illustrators are all Castro descendants. This was a fitting collaboration, honoring and recognizing the incredible historical task undertaken by our ancestors.

Prologue

Encarnación Castro was a little girl chosen by destiny to embark on an incredible journey of exploration, discovery, adventure, and extreme challenges. She was the eight-year-old daughter of the Joaquín Ysidro Castro family, who agreed to be soldier-settlers in the 1775–1776 Anza Expedition. They helped found the Presidio de San Francisco, Misión Dolores (also known as Misión San Francisco de Asís), and el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe.

The Castro family, as well as the other Anza Expedition participants, are true pioneers of California. Very little is written about these individuals who changed the course of history in the American West. Their powerful historical impact was the catalyst in transforming the cultural, religious, political, economic and agricultural landscape of Alta California.

We marvel at the fortitude of the adults of the Anza Expedition, who were able to travel over 1,800 miles in about eight and one-half months. The children of this expedition deserve equal admiration, respect, and acknowledgment of their mental toughness, physical endurance, and unmitigated resilience. It was no easy feat, by any definition! This book is a tribute to those courageous children. This book is also an affirmation that Latina voices are also part of the great American chorus.

The odds of children surviving any ordeal come down to this: Are they loved, cared for, and valued? The Castros and the other expedition families must have taken really good care of their families because all of the children of the expedition survived the journey!

Rugged American individualism is personified in the Castro family's journey. They encountered tremendous hardships: death, illness, food deprivation, mercurial native encounters, and a hostile environment. They are our heroes. The endurance they displayed in overcoming the unforgiving demands of the Arizona and California frontier is astounding. Many soldier-settlers came from extreme poverty. They had limited education. They struggled through brutal deserts, harsh mountain topography, unrelenting natural disasters, bitter cold, and unpredictable Indian encounters. Encarnación's account of her journey primarily cites the most prominent Anza expedition campsites.

Belief in God was imbued in the very essence of every member of the Anza Expedition. Since this was a colonial Spanish expedition, their religion was based on Catholicism. This was a Christian expedition, and their belief in God was based on an ironclad dogma. Within the Spanish empire, religion and culture were fused together as one entity. The Anza colonists started each day in prayer by singing the Alabado as they started their daily march. The Alabado was a song of praise to God. They ended their day by reciting the Rosary in their tents, before falling asleep. They celebrated Holy Mass every Sunday and on Feast Days. It was their belief that the success of the expedition and minimal loss of life (only one person died from Tubac, Arizona to San Francisco, California) was due to God's providence. The power of faith transcends time. The faith of my ancestors is very much a part of me today.

It is important for Americans to understand that Latinos have been part of the United State's history since Ponce de Leon landed in Florida in 1513. According to Robert A. Kittle, the first Spanish European child born in the United States was Martin de Argüelles. He was born in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1566. Martin was born before Virginia Dare. Virginia was born to English parents on August 18, 1587, in Roanoke Island, in colonial Virginia (present-day North Carolina). American children are not taught about the Spanish contributions in the development of the United States. It is part of our Latino American history. Yet many historians choose to ignore or minimize it.

Walt Whitman spoke about the marginalization of Latinos in American history in a Letter to Messrs. Griffin, Martínez, Prince, and other Gentlemen at Santa Fe, July 20, 1883:

We tacitly abandon ourselves to the notion that our United States have been fashion'd from the British Islands only, and essentially form a second England only—which is a very great mistake…

To that composite American identity of the future, Spanish character will supply some of the most needed parts. (Robert A. Kittle, Overlooked by Historians: Salvador Linares and the Perils of Frontier California, The Journal of San Diego History, Spring 2017, Vol. 63 No. 3 + 4, [2] [1 and 2])

As a Latina, I am the product of the intermingling of two diverse races, which collided when Europeans came to the New World. My DNA analysis reveals that my ancestors were primarily Native American, Spanish and Portuguese. I am proud of my heritage and take the best from both cultures.

I am a descendant of the Joaquín Ysidro Castro family. By writing this book, I wish to honor their courage, their perseverance, and incredible spirit. This book is based on historical fact, mixed with the imaginary thoughts and observations of an intelligent little eight-year-old Latina girl, who actually made this journey!

Joaquín Ysidro Castro, Encarnación's father, was one of the first to receive a land grant (on what would be future U.S. soil) from the Spanish Royal Crown in 1795. This land grant was issued to Castro, together with his son-in-law, José María Soberanes. It was given to them for their military service. Castro and Soberanes were granted Rancho Buena Vista, a land grant of 8,446 acres in the Salinas Valley (present-day Monterey County, California). It was the beginning of the California Castro Rancho dominion.

Another important Castro California historical figure was Joaquín Ysidro's brother, José Macario Castro. Hubert Howe Bancroft wrote that Macario Castro was a prominent citizen in many respects. He may be regarded as the most prominent among the Castro founders. The Castro family legacy is unique and inspirational. Their contribution to California history is undeniable. The family served militarily for several generations during the settlement of California. They earned their place in history, and they deserve to be recognized and affirmed.

The Castro family became one of the prominent and wealthy families in Alta California. They obtained land grants for military service to the King of Spain. Later, they received some land grants for their military service to the Mexican government and also as a result of the Mexican government's secularization of the California missions. The nuclear Castro family, their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren owned about fifty-six California Ranchos in twenty-two different counties (present-day counties) from 1822–1848. The Castro ranchos extended all the way north to Tehama County, California, and all the way south to San Diego County, California. From my research, so far, I have found that Joaquín Ysidro Castro's family owned over 600,000 acres in California. Joaquín's brother, José Macario Castro's family, owned over 350,000 acres, also in California. The total acreage owned by the Castro family in Alta California totaled close to one million acres. (My research is still ongoing.) Americans married to Castro females afforded them the right to receive Mexican land grants, and this is included in my total acreage numbers. Most of the Castro ranchos were eventually lost due to a variety of reasons: expensive litigation incurred in U.S. courts in their attempts to prove ownership of the ranchos; loss of cattle revenue; removing squatters from their land, taxes, debts, poor maintenance of legal documents showing land ownership; land division among numerous heirs and the sale of their ranchos to other people.

Not only were the Castros vast land barons, but they were also involved in the development of Alta California's political and civic life. The Castros were generous benefactors of public schools, private libraries, and orphaned children. They were the original settler-founders of San Francisco, San Jose and Castroville, California. Victor Castro created one of the first ferries to cross the Bay area. The Castros were also patron of the arts. The offices they held in Alta California were in the ayuntamiento (town council), alcalde (mayor), regidor (council member), diputación (provincial legislature), elector de Partido (district elector), jefe político (civil governor), Vocal Primero (first member of the provincial legislature), comisionado (commissioner/supervisor of the distribution of Alta California mission lands), county supervisors, and they were judges as well.

American children must be educated about the Pioneers of California. An omission of this part of American history is to deny the truth. To deny the truth is to deny the Castros and other Anza Expedition participants their rightful place in American history.

Anza Expedition Map

© Linda Castro Martinez

Map not drawn to scale

Chapter 1

Nature's Apocalypse

My five-year-old brother, Francisco María, cried, M-M-Mamá, t-t-tengo mucho frío! M-M-Mamá, I-I-I am very cold! His little hands were like ice. The color in his face was fading. His lips were turning blue.

Ay Dios mío! Oh my God!

His tiny hands felt fragile and weak. I was scared. I sat down, pulled Francisco María toward me and cradled him in my arms. It was an attempt to shield him from the cold. María Martina was already in big sister Ana Josefa's arms. It was December 14, 1775. We should have paid attention to the warning signs from the day before. We should have known that a crisis was imminent.

Mamá and Papá looked worried and fatigued. They told all of us to gather closer together for bodily warmth. It was so very cold inside the tent! Each time we exhaled, our breath could be seen momentarily suspended in the air, like small clouds lingering about, waiting for a calamitous end. Our bodies trembled and shook as