Search Results

Continental Shelf and Upper Slope

M. JAMES ALLEN

in The Ecology of Marine Fishes: California and Adjacent Waters

Because of the importance of the soft-bottom fish fauna to fisheries and to environmental assessments, the biology and ecology of the fauna have been relatively well studied. However, although the ... More

Because of the importance of the soft-bottom fish fauna to fisheries and to environmental assessments, the biology and ecology of the fauna have been relatively well studied. However, although the fauna has been relatively well studied off California and Pacific Baja California, there is no overall summary of the soft-bottom fish fauna and its ecology for the entire region. This chapter summarizes what is known about the ecology of the soft-bottom fish fauna of the continental shelf and upper slope of the California and the Pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula. It begins with an overview of the physical conditions of the habitat, followed by overviews of scientific study, sampling methods, the soft-bottom fish fauna of the Californias (e.g., taxonomic composition, biogeography, morphology, life-history traits, assemblages, and community organization). It also compares this fauna to similar faunas elsewhere in the world, and ends with prospects for future research.Less

General Introduction

L. Lee Grismer

in Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California, Including Its Pacific Islands and the Islands in the Sea of Cortes

Baja California's ecological transformations and diverse climactic regimes have contributed to its biotic diversity. This book examines the physiographic nature of Baja California to provide better ... More

Baja California's ecological transformations and diverse climactic regimes have contributed to its biotic diversity. This book examines the physiographic nature of Baja California to provide better insights into the distribution and geographic variation of its herpetofauna. It discusses the biological exploration and history of herpetological research in Baja California and the Gulf of California (the Sea of Cortés). It also provides information about faunal relationships, historical biogeography, and ecological biogeography of amphibians and reptiles in these regions.Less

Building the Mexican Borderlands

Verónica Castillo-Muñoz

in Other California: Land, Identity, and Politics on the Mexican Borderlands

This chapter examines the migrations of Diegueño and Californio families from the United States to Baja California, a migration previously unknown to U.S. historians. It delves into the tumultuous ... More

This chapter examines the migrations of Diegueño and Californio families from the United States to Baja California, a migration previously unknown to U.S. historians. It delves into the tumultuous aftermath of the Mexican–American War, especially how indigenous peoples living on the banks of the Colorado River dealt with U.S. expansion into northern Mexico. Writing about indigenous people was challenging since they left almost no written documents. Moreover, the cyclical destruction of Baja's Catholic missions meant that only a few church records survived. The author spent three years piecing together small vignettes of indigenous people from scattered government and company minutes located in three countries.Less

Cordilleras in Mind

Edward Dallam Melillo

in Strangers On Familiar Soil: Rediscovering the Chile-California Connection

This chapter focuses on Spain's ambitious imperial project in the Americas, detailing the various connections forged between Chile and California. During the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth ... More

This chapter focuses on Spain's ambitious imperial project in the Americas, detailing the various connections forged between Chile and California. During the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, Spain aggressively expanded its holdings on the eastern edge of the Pacific and established military outposts and settlements from the fertile plains of central Chile north to the San Francisco Bay Area. Both Alta California (Upper California) and Baja California (Lower California) were part of the Virreinato de Nueva España (Viceroyalty of New Spain), the formal name of Spanish colonial Mexico until Mexican independence in 1821. In 1804, the Spanish divided the two Californias between the Dominican mission territories in the south and the Franciscan religious colonies in the north. Thus, Alta California and Chile were the geographical ballast at either end of a vast longitudinal Cordillera.Less

The Making of Baja California’s Multicultural Society

Verónica Castillo-Muñoz

in Other California: Land, Identity, and Politics on the Mexican Borderlands

This chapter tells the story of how migration and intermarriage changed Baja California's social and racial landscape at the turn of the century. It draws heavily from census records and company ... More

This chapter tells the story of how migration and intermarriage changed Baja California's social and racial landscape at the turn of the century. It draws heavily from census records and company reports written by managers and administrators who kept a close eye on the workers' health and productivity and, to a greater extent, their personal lives. The Compagnie du Boleo kept detailed records of European managerial workers who married Mexican women. Baja Californian historian Pablo Martínez published birth, marriage, and census records of different municipalities in Baja California that allowed me to trace marriages and families into the twentieth century.Less

The Paradox of Kinship: Native-Catholic Communities in Alta California, 1769–1840s

Erika Pérez

in On the Borders of Love and Power: Families and Kinship in the Intercultural American Southwest

This chapter explores the ways in which the Catholic institution of godparentage (compadrazgo) shaped and was shaped by interethnic encounters and relations in Alta California in the late eighteenth ... More

This chapter explores the ways in which the Catholic institution of godparentage (compadrazgo) shaped and was shaped by interethnic encounters and relations in Alta California in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The author begins with a review of marriage and kinship practices among California Indians prior to European contact. She then examines the variety of ways in which compadrazgo was interpreted, experienced, negotiated, and transformed by Spanish and Mexican colonizers and by Native peoples. Finally, she considers the role of Christianized Baja Indians in mediating colonial power for the Indians of Alta California. The author argues that compadrazgo embodied contradictions, accelerating Hispanicization while also providing narrow openings for continuity in Native kinship practices and gender roles.Less

Baja California–Tres mujeres sin miedo

Barbara R. Stein

in On Her Own Terms: Annie Montague Alexander and the Rise of Science in the American West

This chapter discusses the expedition to Baja California, which was Alexander's first visit to the state. It shows that Baja California represented the northernmost extent of the range of many Latin ... More

This chapter discusses the expedition to Baja California, which was Alexander's first visit to the state. It shows that Baja California represented the northernmost extent of the range of many Latin American species. The discussion describes the climate in the region, and introduces Annetta Carter, who was invited by Alexander and Kellogg to join them on the collecting expedition to Baja. It also reveals that several staff of the Museum of Vertebrae Zoology who had experience conducting fieldwork on the peninsula gave Alexander a great deal of advice before she and her companions departed for the region. This included a five-page list that enumerated essential general equipment.Less

The Baja Raids

David M. Struthers

in The World in a City: Multiethnic Radicalism in Early Twentieth-Century Los Angeles

In winter 1910-11 the Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM) organized a military incursion across the United States/Mexico border in Baja California during the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. This ... More

In winter 1910-11 the Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM) organized a military incursion across the United States/Mexico border in Baja California during the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. This chapter maintains a narrow focus on the regional coalition building and transnational support structure for the Baja raids. The force’s international composition remained unmatched until antifascist organizing during the Spanish Civil War, and its interracial dimension was still more significant. The racial diversity of participants increased the overall number of rebels and contributed to the effectiveness of the military force. But conflicts between rebels and then with the adventurers and interlopers who crossed the border contributed to questions about the legitimacy of the raids. The Baja raids remain the PLM’s most contested legacy.Less

Epilogue

Barbara R. Stein

in On Her Own Terms: Annie Montague Alexander and the Rise of Science in the American West

This chapter studies the activities of Louise Kellogg after the death of her longtime companion and friend, Annie Montague Alexander. One of these was her two trips to Baja California with Annetta ... More

This chapter studies the activities of Louise Kellogg after the death of her longtime companion and friend, Annie Montague Alexander. One of these was her two trips to Baja California with Annetta Carter, who became a close friend. Kellogg pursued her own interests in fieldwork and collecting, and spent the rest of her time on Innisfail Ranch. The ranch became part of the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area in 1991, and the structures that Alexander and Kellogg had erected were torn down.Less

Introduction: The Mexican Borderlands

Verónica Castillo-Muñoz

in Other California: Land, Identity, and Politics on the Mexican Borderlands

This introductory chapter sets out the book's purpose, which is to examine the interplay of land reform and migratory labor in the making of borderlands between the years of 1850 and 1954, focusing ... More

This introductory chapter sets out the book's purpose, which is to examine the interplay of land reform and migratory labor in the making of borderlands between the years of 1850 and 1954, focusing on Baja California. It argues that the Mexican borderlands emerged from efforts to keep labor moving across borders while fixing national communities in place. This intricate interplay shows how governments, foreign investors, and local communities engaged in the making of the Baja California borderlands that led to the booming cities of Tijuana, Mexicali, and Santa Rosalía. At the heart of the book is the story of how ethnically and racially diverse communities of laborers changed the social landscape of Baja California.Less

Revolution, Labor Unions, and Land Reform in Baja California

Verónica Castillo-Muñoz

in Other California: Land, Identity, and Politics on the Mexican Borderlands

This chapter discusses the formation of labor organizations of Mexican and Asian workers, and their influence on both the labor movement and the movement for land reform. Following the decade of ... More

This chapter discusses the formation of labor organizations of Mexican and Asian workers, and their influence on both the labor movement and the movement for land reform. Following the decade of revolutionary upheaval, the population of Baja California increased from 23,537 in 1921 to 48,327 in 1930. During the same time frame, the Colorado River Land Company abandoned large tracts of uncultivated land, which led to an increase in unemployment and stiffer competition between Asian and Mexican workers. Unemployment, combined with the housing shortage caused by a new wave of Mexican migrant workers from the United States, led to the formation of labor unions where indigenous peoples, Mexicans, and Mexican Americans demanded access to farmland and called for restrictions on Chinese immigration. Chinese workers formed Chinese associations in the face of repression and forced deportations. While these struggles reveal how workers dealt with hard financial times, they also show how race, gender, and ethnic affiliations shaped activism and early land reform movements in the Mexicali Valley in the 1920s.Less

Responding to Stress or Coping with Abundance?: Reexamining the Marginality of the California Islands for Maritime Hunter-Gatherers

Jon M. Erlandson, Kristina M. Gill, and Mikael Fauvelle

in An Archaeology of Abundance: Reevaluating the Marginality of California's Islands

Due to their isolation, insularity, and lower biodiversity, the islands of Alta and Baja California have often been perceived as marginal habitat for humans compared to the adjacent mainland. Recent ... More

Due to their isolation, insularity, and lower biodiversity, the islands of Alta and Baja California have often been perceived as marginal habitat for humans compared to the adjacent mainland. Recent archaeological work, however, has revealed a deep history of sustained human settlement on many of the islands from the Terminal Pleistocene to the present, where large Native American populations had complex economies, sophisticated maritime technologies, and elaborate material cultures. With modern restoration efforts, the native vegetation, fisheries, and hydrology of the islands is recovering, raising questions about the marginality of the islands prior to European contact. This chapter draws from archaeological and ecological data to argue that the California Islands were optimal habitat for humans, with ample resources, both marine and terrestrial.Less

Conclusion: The “All-Mexican” Train

Verónica Castillo-Muñoz

in Other California: Land, Identity, and Politics on the Mexican Borderlands

This chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. Looking back at how Baja California was transformed from a backwater to one of the most productive regions in northern Mexico, one ... More

This chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. Looking back at how Baja California was transformed from a backwater to one of the most productive regions in northern Mexico, one could easily conclude that foreign investment was a catalyst for Baja California's dramatic economic success. But this is only part of the story. This book demonstrates that intermarriage, land reform, and migration were vital to the development of the Baja California peninsula and the Mexican borderlands. Without Asian, mestizo, and indigenous workers, it would have been impossible for the Compagnie du Boleo and the the Colorado River Land Company to become some of the most productive enterprises in Latin America. In the post NAFTA era, Baja California continues to be a strategic place for commerce and migration. The boom of maquilas (assembly plants) and agribusinesses persist in attracting migrant workers from different parts of Mexico.Less

Changing Communities, 1768–1810

in The Power of Song: Music and Dance in the Mission Communities of Northern New Spain, 1590–1810

This chapter examines changing mission communities in Baja California and the Pimerìa when new political realities clashed with plans for evangelization following the Jesuit expulsion in 1767. It ... More

This chapter examines changing mission communities in Baja California and the Pimerìa when new political realities clashed with plans for evangelization following the Jesuit expulsion in 1767. It describes the music and dance in the mature Franciscan missions of Coahuila, Texas, and New Mexico and highlights the involvement of music in new explorations and missionization attempts in Provincias Internas and the northern frontier. This chapter also considers the extensive use of music as an evangelization tool in an extensive chain of missions on the coast of Alta California.Less

Introduction

Richard P. Hilton

in Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Reptiles of California

This book explores the Mesozoic reptile fossil discoveries made in California. It describes the fossils and what they tell about the animals that they were a part of, and it chronicles the efforts of ... More

This book explores the Mesozoic reptile fossil discoveries made in California. It describes the fossils and what they tell about the animals that they were a part of, and it chronicles the efforts of those who made the discoveries. It first describes every Mesozoic reptile that has been found and identified in California and then explores the history of their discovery. It concludes with astonishing discoveries made in southern California and Baja California.Less

Historical Degradation and Ecological Recovery: Evaluating the Marginality of California Island Ecosystems

Todd J. Braje, Jon M. Erlandson, Kristina M. Gill, Torben C. Rick, Linda Bentz, and Paul Collins

in An Archaeology of Abundance: Reevaluating the Marginality of California's Islands

Spanish arrival to Alta and Baja California in AD 1542 marked the beginning of widespread ecological changes for California Island ecosystems. Over several centuries, Native peoples were removed to ... More

Spanish arrival to Alta and Baja California in AD 1542 marked the beginning of widespread ecological changes for California Island ecosystems. Over several centuries, Native peoples were removed to mainland towns and missions, intensive commercial fisheries and ranching operations developed, and numerous exotic plants and animals were introduced. The ecological fallout was swift and extensive, with extinctions and extirpations, devegetation, severe soil erosion, damaged hydrology, collapsed fisheries, and other ecological impacts. Archaeologists have long recognized some of the effects of these historical impacts, but only after decades of restoration biology on the islands have we come to appreciate how dramatically ecological baselines have shifted since Spanish arrival. As a result, many of California's islands now appear to have been optimal rather than marginal for human occupation.Less

Surf Zone, Coastal Pelagic Zone, and Harbors

LARRY G. ALLEN and DANIEL J. PONDELLA

in The Ecology of Marine Fishes: California and Adjacent Waters

The nearshore zone off the Californias includes a number of unique, primarily soft-bottom habitats. This expansive area spans the exposed, sandy beaches to the water column above the inner shelf ... More

The nearshore zone off the Californias includes a number of unique, primarily soft-bottom habitats. This expansive area spans the exposed, sandy beaches to the water column above the inner shelf along the entire coastline of California and south into Baja California. The fishes common to this area typically occur over the shallower portions of the shelf and the soft bottom surrounding rock reef and kelp bed environments. The fish assemblages of this area tie all of the shallow water habitats closely together. This chapter discusses three of the more distinctive fish assemblages within this general area: fishes of the surf zone and adjacent drift algal habitat, the coastal pelagic fishes that occupy the water column above the shallow soft bottom and shelf, and fishes of the numerous harbors that have been formed by breakwater construction within this general zone.Less

Introduction

L. Lee Grismer

in Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California, Including Its Pacific Islands and the Islands in the Sea of Cortes

This book serves as a guide to the identification, distribution, natural history, and taxonomy of amphibians and reptiles in Baja California, its associated Pacific islands, and the islands in the ... More

This book serves as a guide to the identification, distribution, natural history, and taxonomy of amphibians and reptiles in Baja California, its associated Pacific islands, and the islands in the Gulf of California. It also gives information on their geographic variation, conservation, commercialization, and anomalous distribution patterns.Less

Motores de Sangre: They Do Not Think, or Assimilate, or Master

Jason Oliver Chang

in Chino: Anti-Chinese Racism in Mexico, 1880-1940

This chapter recovers the history of recruited Chinese laborers, known as motores de sangre, for use in national colonization. Records from cientificos, or technocratic officials, of the Porfirian ... More

This chapter recovers the history of recruited Chinese laborers, known as motores de sangre, for use in national colonization. Records from cientificos, or technocratic officials, of the Porfirian regime show how racialized notions of Chinese migrants as disposable workers informed Mexican modernization programs. The chapter traces agents of industrialization and how they appropriated streams of contracted Asian coolie laborers, to advance railroads and plantations. The highest concentrations of Chinese people in Mexico occurred in the states of Sonora and Yucatán. Chinese workers were primarily used in contentious territory with rebellious indigenous populations. The chapter turns to the development of treaty relations with China and national debates about Chinese immigration. These debates demonstrate how racial discourses of Indians and Chinese were linked. The more that Indians were seen as obstacles of modernization, the greater the reliance upon the Chinese; and when Indians were seen as agents of modernization, the more the Chinese were despised. Finally, a close look at the near complete reliance upon Chinese in national colonization of Baja CaliforniaLess