091: Black Pioneers of Spanish California with Dr. Cameron Jones Part 1

Historian Cameron Jones joins Damian Bacich for a fascinating conversation about the overlooked African presence in early California. Drawing on mission records, census data, and genealogical research, Jones explores how people of African descent—many arriving from Mexico as soldiers, settlers, and ranchers—helped shape California during the Spanish and Mexican periods.

The discussion traces the stories of prominent Californio families such as the Picos, the multicultural origins of Los Angeles, and the complex racial realities of life in frontier California. Jones also explains his groundbreaking digital humanities project, AfricanCalifornios.org, which uses historical records and data science to reconstruct the lives and networks of African-descended Californios.

Far from reducing California history to simple categories, this interview reveals a past that was deeply diverse, interconnected, and often misunderstood. It’s an essential conversation for anyone interested in California history, the Spanish Borderlands, genealogy, race and identity, or the hidden stories behind the American West.

Topics discussed include:

* African-descended Californios and the Spanish missions
* The founding families of Los Angeles
* Pío Pico and the Pico dynasty
* Race, class, and identity in Spanish and Mexican California
* The transition from Mexican to U.S. ru
* California genealogy and historical memory
* The AfricanCalifornios.org project

To learn more: https://www.africancalifornios.org/home

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:23 Show Introduction
• 0:48 About Dr. Cameron Jones & African Californios
• 3:26 How Cameron Got Into This Research
• 7:44 The 1813 Questionnaire: Discovery of African Descent in California
• 10:20 Notable Californio Families of African Descent
• 14:26 The Founders of Los Angeles