Alta California in 1834 Part 1: Bear and Bull Fights

The episode focuses on the recollections of Carlos N. Híjar, who arrived in Alta California in 1834 as a child. Híjar's memoir provides insights into daily life, customs, and entertainment in 1830s California.

Key points covered include:

1. Description of Californios' appearance, including long braided hair and distinctive hats.
2. Details about clothing, horse riding, and gender roles.
3. Observations on food. 
4. Description of the patron saint celebration in Santa Barbara, featuring bullfights and bear-bull fights.
5. A detailed account of how bull and bear fights were conducted.

Stay tuned for further episodes covering Carlos' memories of Rancho Era California.

Transcript

RODECaster Duo Main Stereo & Elgato Virtual Camera-1: 0:00

A few weeks ago. I was on a short vacation with my family in solving. One of our, um, happy places, love going down to solving. And also in the central coast of California. And, uh, there's also mission Sunday ness there. So there's a lot of history. In any way I was visiting, solving with my family. And while we were there. I love to go to bookstores and especially use bookstores. And I happen to cross a place called the book loft. So shout out to book loft. If you happen to be listening here. And wouldn't, you know it, but they have a great section of books, especially secondhand books. On California history. And I came across a small little volume called three memoirs of Mexican California. Have it right here. If you're watching. Three memoirs of Mexican, California. And. Evidently, this was a. Limited edition released that was produced for the friends of the Bancroft library. Now the Bancroft library is. The library on the campus of UC Berkeley, that houses so many. Documents. Relative to the history of California. I mean, It's an, it's an internationally known archive, but. But it has a great. Great. Foundation of documents from early California. And. Anyway, in this little addition. It has three. I titled well, okay. It's called memoirs of Mexican, California. Three memoirs of Mexican, California, as I mentioned. And they are memoirs of people. Who. Lived in. Alta California. And they were dictated. To the guys who worked for the historian, Hubert, how Bancroft, who was gathering at the end of the 19th century. He was trying to gather together as many oral testimonies of people who had lived through the Spanish and Mexican eras. Right. And as I mentioned, this was mainly during the 1870s, I think, into the 1880s. And the first recollection in this. Book is by a man named Carlos Ihara. Oh, Ehab. Hi, who came to California in 1834. And before I get into more about him, I just want to give credit to the translator as a translator myself, we often don't get enough credit. But. The person, the, these memoirs. We're obviously. Taken down in Spanish. And then this is a translation of them. And the English translations were done, by a person. Named, Let's see. Oh, yeah. Vivian Fisher. And others. So I want to definitely give credit to her and to her collaborators. Perhaps over the next few weeks, I'll read excerpts from these memoirs. I think they're really interesting. Because they. Give us a great glimpse into. The Rancho era in California right now. They're probably not a hundred percent. Reliable. Because they are memoirs. They are the recollections of somebody. Who probably was a child at the time that he witnessed these things. And, and so. From a certain standpoint, they have to be taken with a grain of salt. But from a, from another standpoint, they really do. Provide us important information that you're not going to find in many places. So let's talk about Carlos N E. Who is the person who is recollections, I'm going to excerpt for you today. So. Carlos. And he had arrived in California and Alto, California in 1834 with his uncle Jose Medea. Who was a, a. Wealthy individual from Holly SCO in Mexico right now. Jose mighty a HUD. HUD was tasked along with, Another. Well known influential individual in Mexico. Who was hosted media. Part of this, right? They were tasked. To bring other Mexican citizens. To colonize. The recently secularized mission lands in Alta California. So there were a lot of lands. It had been secularized and the Mexican government really wanted to solidify. The presence of Mexicans. In Alta, California. Solidify it's. Status as a Mexican territory. If you remember, especially during Spanish times and even. You know for many years, It Alta California, even though. It was part of the empire was very far away from the center from the metropolis. And so people had developed the Kelly Ford Yos had developed their own sort of. A particular identity. And so. And sort of an independent mindset. So this, this colonizing effort was one that happened in the mid 1830s to try and, Solidify the ties between Mexico and Alta California. Well, it didn't go so well. And, Eventually, and there were a lot of problems with the people who came north. And eventually the Kelly fornia is wound up expelling. Many of them. Back to Mexico and, and, Jose Maria. He wound up returning New Mexico, although he did come back. To Alta California just before the U S takeover. But anyway, we're talking about Carlos, his nephew. And Carlos. Was just a boy when he came. And accompanied his uncle. But when his testimony was given. He in 1887, he was living in the Pueblo of San Jose. Right. So he's living in. Or better yet? 1877. This was the city of San Jose, California. Right. And so he gives details about. Day-to-day life and customs of the California's. In the 1830s. Based on his childhood recollections. I find them particularly fascinating. And I hope to read, as I mentioned, several excerpts from them over the next few weeks. But today we are going to begin his recollections. With some of the types of entertainment. That, The California has enjoyed. In particular. Some of the more violent forms of entertainment, including a bear and bull fights, which you may have heard of. So be advised there was a little bit of violence in here. And we'll also hear about the song and dance of the California frontier. So enjoy. As we begin, Don Carlos E. Hers usages and customs of the Californias.

Damian Bacich's video recording: 8:46

When I touched the port of San Diego in 1834. I was very surprised to see the residents with hair as long as data women. And made into a braid. Which fell over their shoulders or was put up carefully into the crown of their hats. Now. Just as a side note, you may have heard other people commenting on this famous long braid of the California's. There's a, there's a pretty well-known testimony of a woman named Quana Machado who grew up in San Diego. And she talks about her father, who was a soldier who wore his hair in this long braid. Right. And, and in fact Mexican authorities. After independence, outlawed that braid. In the army, like it was no longer. Considered a legitimate part of the army, a uniform. So. These hats. He's talking about the hats that the Kelly Ford Neil's war were rather course. With the brims, very broad and the crown seven or eight inches tall. So that they looked like a pyramid. Truncated by a horizontal plane. Around this, they always tied a band. In the form of a ribbon. Or a silk or cotton handkerchief. Either black or colored. They always wore the hat tipped forward so that it covered most of the forehead. They were very fond of writing horseback. And the saddles. Or trappings, which they used attracted attention. Chiefly due to the stirrups. Composed of six or seven circles of sole leather of different diameters. Placed one above the other. The largest being approximately two feet in diameter. The spurs also where to course. And generally the WRAL, the WRAL is the. The revolving disc this at the end of a spur. The RAL, which was five or six inches in diameter. I was equipped with five or six spikes. They were never seen riding at the horses pace. But at a Gallop. Or a top speed, even if the distance were only 20 or 25 yards. Their clothing generally consisted of a shirt. Fastened with bands of cloth instead of buttons. A short woolen or linen jacket. Trousers open down the sides. Hi boots. Which never lacked the indispensable stiletto or knife. Or shoes of colored Shami. Now, Shami, as you may know, it's a. As a soft. Leather. That's at least these days usually made of sheep skin or lamb skin. And the Shammy is actually. A type of mountain goat that lives, In Europe and other parts of the world. So they either wore boots or shoes of color, Shami embroidered with white, a Gavi thread. And finished off with a slightly upturned point. Which were called Cheese. Abroad red band at the waist. And one, two or three kerchiefs. Of different colors tied about the throat. Or crossed from the throat down under one arm or around the ribs. The women. More tunics of Calico. Generally blue. Always long in spite of the age of the individual. On their heads. They wore a kerchief of black silk. Doubled into various folds and bound around the head. In the manner of a turbine. The footwear was of Shami. With a more or less high heel. And the tip of the shoe turned upward. That's an interesting. Image, not just the men. But the women and how they wore. The scarves. Kurt chiefs. He calls them. And then their footwear, right. At the time in 1834, I was around eight years old. As soon as I was over my seasickness, which was after two days. I went to a shop to buy some sweets. I noticed that the crystallized sugar. Was mixed with mashed potatoes to bring a better profit. Since they would make two lobes of sugar from one. And so obtain better results. That's really interesting. So they had these kinds of sugar candies. But they mixed them. With mashed potatoes in order to. To, to make it last longer or to. To have more to sell. The bread was very heavy. And I could only eat it from necessity. They also sold some round loaves fried in beef, Greece. Seven or eight inches in diameter. And an inch thick. Wow. That sounds very filling. I have to say. Once I went out of the port to a secluded place to take a bath. I saw that some families. We're camped there. And found out that they were California's. He would come to wash. And that they were accustomed when they went for that purpose to camp someplace and take a long provisions for six, eight or more days. I also noted that those who based. Instead of using soap for their head and body. Used a clay. That was right there. And which was known by the name of soap ball. I to use that clay. And found that it gave better results perhaps then soap. Not aware of what soap ball might be. If. If someone is please write to me and enlightened me. The largest part of the tasks was entrusted to the women. They busied themselves with their domestic duties. Cut the wood necessary for the meal. Sowed in their gardens. The seeds indispensable to the household. Using the whole. Pick. Shovel. Et cetera. And went to the waterholes. To wash under an Arbor, which they themselves made. The men on the other hand, Spent their lives on horseback. Riding through the fields. Last sewing or killing cattle. Then they would take a piece of meat home. And in doing so they were very well satisfied. And the women. We're very happy and grateful. So the picture here is, is one of. Definitely the women doing the. The household chores, the daily grind. And the men were basically out on horseback. Getting meat, bringing home. Bringing home the. Being on the beach, they weren't bringing them the bacon. They were bringing home the beef. But very interesting. Now here, he's going to talk about Santa Barbara. That's that's where he was. The same year while I was in Santa Barbara. The day of the patron, Saint of the mission. St Barbara. Arrived. Days in advance. They began to talk of the festivities of that day. And make the corresponding preparations. When the day arrived. It was celebrated in the following way. So, this is how. The patron feast. Of. The mission and the city of Santa Barbara was celebrated. In the morning, there was a solemn mass. The peeling of bells. Salvos. Cannon shots. When they had cannons, et cetera. In the afternoon. There was a bull fight. And a bear fight, which took place in the corral used for the rodeo. The manner of bullfighting was the following. They put a spirited bull with full horns in the ring. Then the California's would begin to go in on horseback. And turn him around with their cloaks. At the beginning of the fight. They would be timid. But afterwards they would play with him. Now embracing him when he was not on guard. Now petting his cheeks. Or pulling out his eyebrows. Now mounting him or pulling his tail. It would keep playing with him. Until both were on very good terms. Then they would chase him out of the corral. Giving him the plane. To go wherever he wished. Several California's always went after him. Chasing him. And bringing him down by twisting his tail. Until he was far enough away from the corral. In the afternoon they fought four or five bowls. As many as time permitted. Whenever some Indians were somewhat intoxicated with Brandy. They would get into the corral to fight. And then it was very funny. To see their agility and escaping the thrust of the bowls. They would stand a very short distance from the horns of the bull. And within astounding suppleness of body. Almost without moving from the place. Would avoid the thrusts with violent movements of the body. They had absolutely no fear of the beast. They looked upon him. As though he were one of their fellow companions. With whom they were playing amicably. At the beginning, the middle or the end of the bull baiting. The fight between the bull and the bear took place. Now, this is. This is what you've probably heard of numerous times to. The bear and bull fights that would take place in Alta, California. This was accomplished in this way. With a Lariat or leather thong of sufficient strength. Paul of the bear was tied with one end. And the foreleg of the bowl with the other. When the Lariat was taught. The beasts were about five or six yards apart. To avoid any mishap. The bear was tied by a leg to a post. Placed there for the purpose. Moreover. Five or more. California's stayed in the ring with their Larry. It's ready to last. So the bear. In case he should break the rope that held it. And start to charge the spectators. These ladder that is the spectators. We're on the enclosure fence or outer circle. Very happy at the site of such a cruel spectacle. So. Carlos. Is, um, recently arrived from in Mexico. And he finds this sort of, um, spectacle. This, this sort of sport. To be kind of cruel. At one side of this corral was erected a kind of platform. Covered with branches. Which was used by the director of the mission and some of the prominent families. The fight was decided either by the bull or the bear. It generally being the first who saw his opponent lying dead upon the blood. Be sprinkled earth. Two or three days before the celebration, the California's would go out on their horses. And provided with good lariats. Search the woods for a bear or bears. The method of hunting them. Was to lasso them with several lariats and afterwards pull them down. If there were several bears. And they were well tied. They were put on big Drai's and by means of one or more yokes of oxen taken to the mission. Where the fight was to take place. Uh, wagon accompanied them. Provided with water. With which they refresh the bear along the way. So that he would not die. So that's an account. The bull and bear fights in Alta, California. Now. And the next one, we're going to talk a little bit about. Or better yet. Carlos is going to talk a little bit about dancing and singing. Among the Kelly Ford and yes. A little bit less violent. But I think you'll find it also very interesting because much of what he talks about. It has to do with, um, Songs and dances that are also, or also popular. In Mexico during this time period. So. With that I'll leave you. And hopefully you'll be ready to listen to the next installment. Of. The usages and customs of the Kelly Ford Neos. According to Dawn cardless, N E.