First contact: The Spanish and Chumash
The Spanish arrival in California began in the mid-16th century, one of the first recorded Europeans to pass by the region was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542, who sailed north from Mexico under the Spanish flag. Cabrillo’s expedition mapped parts of the coastline and made brief contact with Indigenous groups, including the Chumash tribe. His voyage did not lead to immediate settlement but it marked the beginning of Spain’s interest in California as a region worth exploring and claiming.
More than two centuries later, the Spanish began making efforts to settle in Alta California. In 1769 Spain launched the Portolá expedition, which was the first official land and sea expedition in this region. Led by Gaspar de Portolá, along with the Franciscan priest Father Junípero Serra, this group traveled north from Baja California up to San Francisco with soldiers, priests, and settlers. Their goal was to establish missions and towns to secure Spain’s claim to the land and convert Indigenous people to Christianity. During this journey, they traveled directly through Chumash territory and recorded observations of the Chumash's coastal villages.
The expedition’s arrival in the Santa Barbara and Ventura regions marked the first recorded contact between the Spanish and the Chumash. Members of the Portolá expedition group noted the size and organization of the Chumash villages. While initial encounters were mostly peaceful, the Spanish presence brought new pressures which included demands for food, supplies, and native guides. These early contacts set the stage for the more permanent changes that would come when the Spanish were constructing Missons.
After the Portolá expedition, Spain began building missions along the California coast. Mission San Buenaventura, located on Chumash territory was founded by Father Junípero Serra on March 31, 1782. Other nearby missions on Chumash land included Mission Santa Barbara (1786) and Mission La Purísima (1787). These missions were designed to integrate the Indigenous people into Spanish colonial society through religious conversion, labor, and strict discipline. As the mission system expanded, the Spanish presence in Chumash lands became more permanent and disruptive.