This is an antique style map with the title "The Anza Expedtion of 1775-76." The map shows a red line representing the trail route.
Events, Geography in the News, Professional Development

Commemorating and Learning from the 250th Anniversary of the Anza Expedition of 1775-76

Announcing a professional learning series featuring geographic and global perspectives on history.

For educators and students in Grades 4 and higher. Special relevance to 5th, 8th, and Ethnic Studies, but all are welcome to join.

SESSION 1 (DEPARTING): OCTOBER 22, 2025, 4-5:30 pm
On the Frontier of New Spain: Empire, Culture, and the Making of an Expedition Understand the purpose of the expedition, learn about its leaders and the settlers who made the choice to start a new life, explore the route they took, and examine accounts of contact they had with the landscapes and indigenous peoples they encountered.

SESSION 2 (ON THE JOURNEY): JANUARY 7, 2026, 4-5:30 pm Centering Difference in the Anza Expedition and Early California Few citizens of New Spain were eager to join an expedition to settle an unknown and potentially hazardous land, but some saw an opportunity on the frontier. Learn how Afro-Latinos and independent women were a major part of the Anza Expedition and the early development of California.

SESSION 3 (ARRIVING): MARCH 25, 2026, 4-5:30 pm
Legacies of the Expedition and the Making of Place in California, 1776 to 2026 What are the outcomes of the Anza Expedition? A settlement called Yerba Buena, a settler population that develops its own cultural and political identities, a sequence of transitions in control of the territory resulting in California’s incorporation into the United States. The people and the trail they followed continue to be relevant in many ways.

REGISTER FOR ONE SESSION OR THE WHOLE SERIES

When you think about America’s colonial history and the year 1776, you likely think about events like the signing of the Declaration of Independence; places like Boston and Philadelphia; and the collective struggle of 13 former British colonies to create a new country.  Those are all very important parts of our country’s history and identity, but the east coast bias in how we teach US history obscures the historical realities of California (and many other states) that very definitely shaped the United States.

America’s origin story needs to include all of its territory and all of its people. California, Arizona, and all of the territories gained from Mexico in 1848 are part of that story. By studying the Anza Expedition of 1775-76, we gain a deeper understanding of our state and national territories as places of possibility that have been occupied and shaped by many different people.

Over the years, the CGA has partnered with the National Park Service to develop teaching and learning resources related to an epic and often overlooked story in California’s history, the Juan Bautista de Anza expedition of 1775-76 that established the first non-Native permanent civilian settlement in California.  The Anza Expedition is a fascinating and engaging story for many reasons (learn more here).

  • It addresses the influence of other colonial powers on the territory that would eventually become incorporated into the United States.   Fearing Russian and English encroachment into its colonial territories, Spain agreed to support an expedition that would establish a desert crossing to connect the presidio at Tubac (near Tucson, Arizona) with Alta California, including the presidios in San Diego and Monterey and the growing string of missions along the Pacific coast.
  • The expedition supplied Alta California with its first permanent colonial population, which would provide support to the military and religious operations already underway.  That population included a high proportion of young people and a mix of ethnicities, establishing California as a place that welcomes diverse peoples and provides opportunities for those who take risks and invest their own energies.  “When the expedition left the Tubac Presidio on October 23, 1775, thirty families had joined Anza. The families reflected the diverse castes of Spanish society—a mix of Native American, African, and European heritage. These 200 men, women, and children put their trust in a man who did not guarantee they would reach their destination. Their reward was the chance at a better life. It was a risk they were willing to take.”
  • The expedition was well-documented.  The journals of Anza and other expedition leaders provides a record of the natural environment and cultural landscapes at the time of European contact.  The journals also provide insight into the experiences of both the expedition members and the indigenous groups that they encountered along the way.