When Spanish occupation of California began in 1769, an expedition of more than 60 persons led by Gaspar de Portola moved into the area now known as Los Angeles. They camped by a river where fertile soil and availability of water for irrigation impressed members of the party. Father Juan Crespi, who accompanied the group, named the river El Rio de Nuestra Senora la Reyna de Los Angeles de Porciuncula, which means "The River of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula. "
12 years after Portola's trek, which began in San Diego and ended in Monterey, a company of settlers called "Los Pobladores" were recruited in the states of Sonora and Sinaloa in Mexico. Their mission, under authority of Governor Felipe de Neve, was to establish pueblos (communal villages) in the name of the king of Spain.
On September 4, 1781, the Pobladores, a group of 12 families - 46 men, women and children led by Captain Rivera y Moncada - established a community in the area discovered by Portola, and named it El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reyna de Los Angeles de Porciuncula, after the nearby river. Over time, the area became known as the Ciudad de Los Angeles, "City of Angels," and on April 4, 1850 became the City of Los Angeles.
Oct 09 2006, 6:01 PM