via research paper by Albert Knight

When the Chumash Indians met the Spanish settlers

Pictured above is a rare contemporaneous depiction of a pivotal event in California history. Painted by Chumash Indians in the Santa Monica Mountains, the imagination-stirring scene is widely believed to tell the story of the first meeting between the tribe and Spanish settlers led by either Juan Bautista de Anza or Gaspar de Portola in the 1700s. The Spanish are shown riding horses, animals that had not yet been introduced here.

Voyagers’ accounts of the Chumash noted their friendliness, but the goodwill was not to last. Five Spanish missions were established among their tribal lands between 1771 and 1804. Then, on this day in 1824, the tribe lashed out in the largest organized revolt in the history of the California missions. By the time the fighting ended, roughly 20 Chumash and one soldier had died. Afterward, the Spanish executed seven more Chumash. 

Read more: NPS.gov | Last Adventurer

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