Mexican Period of San Francisco - 1821 to 1846
San Francisco transitioned from Spanish control after Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821. Land grants were issued to Mexican citizens, including prominent figures like José Antonio Galindo, Francisco Guerrero, and others. These grants, known as ranchos, encompassed large areas of land in and around present-day San Francisco. One of the notable ranchos was Rancho San Miguel, which covered much of what is now the northern part of San Francisco.
In the 1830s, the Mexican government implemented policies to secularize the missions, leading to their decline in influence. This resulted in the redistribution of mission lands among private owners and the disbandment of the mission system.
Yerba Buena was a small settlement established by the Mexican government in 1835. It served primarily as a port and had a population of around 30 inhabitants. During this period, it remained relatively insignificant compared to other settlements in California.
John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant, received a land grant from the Mexican government. Though his primary settlement was in the Sacramento Valley, his employee, John Bidwell, was instrumental in establishing a trading post in Yerba Buena, which contributed to the early development of the area.
In 1846, during the Mexican-American War, American forces occupied California. The subsequent Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 officially ended the war and ceded California to the United States.
The Mexican period in San Francisco's history was relatively brief but left its mark on the region's cultural, social, and economic fabric. The transition from Spanish to Mexican control involved changes in land ownership, secularization of missions, and the emergence of a small but diverse community in Yerba Buena that would later become the thriving metropolis of San Francisco.
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