Juan Bautista de Anza National Parks
"…it was decided in Mexico to make this second expedition and journey, the better to explore the country, and especially to conduct thirty
families of married soldiers to the port of Monterey, in order by means of them to settle and hold the famous port of San Francisco." Font,
remarks opening his journal.
 The Trail of San Juan Bautista de Anza
In the last half of the 18th century, Spain was struggling to secure its outpost in northern California from Russian and English
exploration and colonization. Existing land and sea routes from Mexico were dangerous and difficult, and the Spanish sought a new overland route
for moving settlers, livestock and supplies up from Sonora.
In 1774, Juan Bautista de Anza, Captain of the Presidio of Tubac in Sonora (now southern Arizona) led a small exploratory expedition to scout
out a new route. The expedition met with success, not only finding a safe and predictable route, but also establishing friendly relations with
the Yuma tribe at the junction of the Gila and Colorado Rivers, a relationship that proved invaluable in the colonizing expedition to follow.
With permission from the Viceroy of New Spain to found a mission and presidio at the port of San Francisco, Anza enlisted soldiers with
families from Culiacan and other small communities as he headed north. On October 23, 1775, he set out from the frontier in Tubac with a
colonizing expedition of nearly 200 settlers and their escorts – cowboys, translators, mulepackers, Indian guides – and over 1,000 head of
livestock. He was joined by Father Pedro Font who, along with Anza himself. Kept in-depth diaries that painted a vivid picture of a pre-European
contact landscape. The journals also describe centuries old varied and distinct American Indian cultures stretching along the entire length of
trail. This epic journey and the route it established are memorialized today by the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.
 Exploring the Anza Trail
With over 1200 miles of auto route connecting Mexico to San Francisco, the Anza Trail invites travelers to experience the interweaving of the
three elements of the Spanish plan for colonization of its northern frontier: the presidio or fort (military), the mission (religious), and the
pueblo or town (civilian). The visitor can understand the links between the presidios of Tubac, Santa Barbara, and San Francisco, of the cities
of San Jose (1777) and Los Angeles (1781).
The richness and variety of American Indian cultures is displayed along the route. Visit the O’odham plaza at San Xavier del Bac or picnic at
the Tongva portion of Smith Park near Mission San Gabriel. Explore the vitality of the Chumash culture at the Oakbrook Chumash Indian
Interpretive Center or at Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Learn of the
materials and techniques of Ohlone Rumsien basket weaving along the marked trail in Fort Ord Public Lands in Monterey.
The Anza Trail offers something for everyone. From the front seat of a car, the back of a horse, or on your feet there are scores of
opportunities to experience the trail and its stories at your own speed.
For More a Map and Public Access Points on the San Juan Bautista de Anza Trail Click Here
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