At Rio Adobe, Native Americans Got to Keep Their Land, But Struggles Remain
In 1794, Native people associated with Mission San Juan Capistrano built a block of 40 houses there. After Mexico gained its independence from Spain, the Mexican government dissolved California’s missions. Around Mission San Juan Capistrano, some Indigenous people regained title to their house plots, though not to whole villages or hunting grounds.
The smallest land grant in California, the 7.7-acre Rios Adobe plot in San Juan Capistrano was presented in 1843 to the Rios family, members of the Acjachemen Nation who still live in the home their ancestors had built in 1794. It is the oldest continually-occupied family home in California and a sign of Indigenous persistence despite widespread dispossession.
Explore some of the spaces in Orange County shaped by land rights. Click on the starred map points to read more in-depth stories.
Ironically, when federal Indian agents observed the successful Acjachemen community here in the late 1800s, they decided the group was independent enough and unthreatening enough to not require federal supervision — a choice that has ongoing repercussions as the Acjachemen nation still struggles for federal recognition and the benefits it provides.
In the 1970s, Steven Rios was the first executive secretary of California’s Native American Heritage Commission, but recent gentrification in San Juan Capistrano has caused many Acjachemen people to move elsewhere. The struggle to reclaim stewardship of the land is ongoing.
To learn more: Akins, Damon and William Bauer, Jr.. "We Are the Land: A History of Native California." University of California Press, 2022.
