Out-of-towners begin to mispronounce his name (it’s PEE-koh).ġ847 - Battle of Rio San Gabriel. It later becomes home to the largest adobe structure in California, 30,000 grape vines and 21,000 head of livestock.ġ805 - The first American trading ship arrives at San Pedro Bay, south of the Pueblo.ġ821 - Mexico achieves independence from Spain.ġ841 - History of LA's first census shows a population of 141.ġ842 - California’s first discovery of gold is made at Placerita Canyon, near Mission San Fernando, prompting LA’s first population boom.ġ846 - Pio Pico is sworn in as governor of California, in Los Angeles.

Felipe de Neve, Governor of Spanish California, names the settlement El Pueblo Sobre el Rio de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula.ġ797 - Father Fermin Lasuen founds Mission San Fernando, named for King Ferdinand of Spain. The settlers name the local river Rio de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula (River of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula).ġ771 - Father Junipero Serra establishes the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, later moved to the present-day city of San Gabriel.ġ781 - A group of 11 families comprising 44 Mexicans settles by the river. He calls present-day San Pedro Bay the “Bay of Smokes.”ġ602 - Sebastian Vizcaino of Spain explores the California coast and meets some of the locals.ġ769 - Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola explores the area to open up a land route to the port of Monterey and establishes the first Spanish settlement in the area. By the 16th century, the region’s main village will be called Yang-Na, near present-day Los Angeles City Hall.ġ542 - Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo navigates the coast of California.

Some accounts say they displaced the Chumash.

From the ancient La Brea Tar Pits to the latest hotels and cultural attractions, read on for a timeline of the incredible history of Los Angeles.Ĭirca 38,000 BC - Los Angeles has been pulling in visitors for tens of thousands of years, as a future fossil is trapped inside what are now the La Brea Tar Pits.Ĭirca 8000 BC - Chumash people settle the Los Angeles basin.Ĭirca 300 BC - The Tataviam (later Fernandeno) people inhabit what is now the San Fernando Valley.Ĭirca 500 AD - Tongva Indians settle in the Los Angeles basin.

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