Mexican people (Californios) held the land in Santa Clara after Spain and before the U.S., mainly through ranchos granted during the Mexican period (1821–1846). But the Indigenous Ohlone were the earliest inhabitants, and Mexican rule itself was relatively short-lived before American annexation shifted power again.

Before Colonization

• The Santa Clara Valley was originally home to the Ohlone (Costanoan) people, who lived there for thousands of years. They had villages, seasonal camps, and a rich cultural and spiritual relationship with the land

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Spanish Period (1777–1821)

• Spain colonized California and established Mission Santa Clara de Asís in 1777, one of the 21 missions.

• The missions were built to convert Indigenous people to Christianity and integrate them into Spanish colonial society. The Ohlone were displaced from their villages, baptized, and made to work the mission lands under harsh conditions.

• Land was held collectively under the mission system, not by individual settlers.

Mexican Period (1821–1846)

• When Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, California came under Mexican control.

• The missions were secularized in the 1830s: their lands were taken from the church and redistributed as land grants (ranchos).

• Many of these ranchos in the Santa Clara Valley were granted to Californios (Mexican citizens, often of Spanish descent). Some Indigenous people received small plots, but most were left landless.

• Notable ranchos in and around Santa Clara included Rancho Rincon de Los Esteros, Rancho Posolmi, and Rancho Quito. These vast ranches were worked by Indigenous laborers but controlled by Mexican families

American Period (1846 onward)

• In 1846, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces took control of California.

• The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) ended the war and promised to honor Mexican land grants. In practice, many Californios lost their lands due to legal costs, language barriers, and disputes.

• With the California Gold Rush (1849) and statehood (1850), Anglo-American settlers poured in, and Mexican landholders in Santa Clara rapidly lost control of their ranchos.

• By the mid-19th century, most land was in U.S. settler hands, and the city of Santa Clara grew on former mission and rancho lands.

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Santa Clara Today

• As of the 2020 census, the population of Santa Clara is 127,647, and considered one of the safer U.S. cities for its size.

• Oldest institution of higher learning in California – Santa Clara University (founded in 1851 on the site of Mission Santa Clara) is the oldest continuously operating university in California.

• Birthplace of Silicon Valley innovation – Intel, headquartered in Santa Clara, was founded in 1968 and helped kick off the microprocessor revolution that reshaped the world.

• Mission Santa Clara’s fiery history – The mission has burned down and been rebuilt several times, with its current church dating to 1926. It’s still an active parish.

• High-tech meets horticulture – The city has a 52-acre Central Park, often called the “green lung” of Santa Clara, designed in the 1960s with inspiration from New York’s Central Park.

• Diverse demographics – Today, Santa Clara is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the Bay Area, with nearly 40% of residents identifying as Asian American, alongside large Latino and Indian communities.