Archaeological evidence places human inhabitation here back at least 4,500 years, but the first European contact in this area may have occurred only in 1772. In less than three centuries, drastic changes to the land and Indigenous populations forever altered the courses of California's ecological and cultural histories. Structured Spanish exploration and colonization of Alta California began in 1769 under Captain Gaspar de Portolá and Franciscan Father Junípero Serra. Between 1769 and 1823, 21 Spanish missions operated from San Diego to Sonoma and later continued under Mexican rule. Mission San Fernando became the site of forced relocation for the Tataviam from Mapipinga, at Vasquez Rocks, devastating their culture, language, population, and family ties.
