Pablo de la Portillà
Encyclopedia
Pablo de la Portillà was a soldier and pioneer in nineteenth-century California
.
Capt. Portillà served in the frontier Spanish
army.
He arrived in 1819 with his troops on the Cossack from Mazatlán
, Mexico
.
These were reinforcements to protect Mission San Buenaventura
against Mohave
(Colorado River) Indians. They were attached to the Presidio of Santa Barbara
.
Capt. Portillà took part in the 1831 Mexican Revolution.
Capt. Portillà was nominally
Commandant
of the Presidio of San Diego
whenever he was present there, during the years 1835–1838, although he was not stationed there. He was there during campaigns of varying success to protect against Kumeyaay
Indian attacks.
He also led a punitive expedition
against the Chumash Revolt
in Santa Barbara in 1824, traveling to the southern San Joaquin Valley
.
For his efforts Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
, when secularized by the Mexican Government in 1834, was turned over to Portillà, along with future Governor Pío Pico
. The secularization occurred after Mexico won independence from Spain. The land was supposed to be returned to the natives, but most of it went to Mexican officials and their friends.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Capt. Portillà served in the frontier Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
army.
He arrived in 1819 with his troops on the Cossack from Mazatlán
Mazatlán
Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
These were reinforcements to protect Mission San Buenaventura
Mission San Buenaventura
Mission San Buenaventura was founded on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1782 in Las Californias, part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain. Named for a Franciscan theologian, Saint Bonaventure, it was the last of the missions founded by Father Serra...
against Mohave
Mohave
Mohave or Mojave are a Native American people indigenous to the Colorado River in the Mojave Desert. The Fort Mojave Indian Reservation includes parts of California, Arizona, and Nevada...
(Colorado River) Indians. They were attached to the Presidio of Santa Barbara
Presidio of Santa Barbara
The El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara, also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara, was a military installation in Santa Barbara, California. It was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California...
.
Capt. Portillà took part in the 1831 Mexican Revolution.
Capt. Portillà was nominally
Commandant
of the Presidio of San Diego
Presidio of San Diego
El Presidio Reál de San Diego is an historical fort established on May 14, 1769, by Commandant Pedro Fages for Spain. It was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast of the United States. As the first of the presidios and Spanish missions in California, it was the base of...
whenever he was present there, during the years 1835–1838, although he was not stationed there. He was there during campaigns of varying success to protect against Kumeyaay
Kumeyaay
The Kumeyaay, also known as Tipai-Ipai, Kamia, or formerly Diegueño, are Native American people of the extreme southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. They live in the states of California in the US and Baja California in Mexico. In Spanish, the name is commonly spelled...
Indian attacks.
He also led a punitive expedition
Punitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge...
against the Chumash Revolt
Chumash Revolt of 1824
The Chumash Revolt of 1824 was an uprising of the Chumash Native Americans against the Spanish presence in The Californias. The rebellion occurred in present day California Missions Mission Santa Inés, Mission Santa Barbara, and Mission La Purisima...
in Santa Barbara in 1824, traveling to the southern San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
.
For his efforts Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, also known as Mission San Luis Rey or San Luis Rey Mission Church, was founded on June 13, 1798 in coastal Las Californias, in the present day U.S. city of Oceanside in California. The local Quechnajuichom Native American tribe became known as the Luiseño 'Mission...
, when secularized by the Mexican Government in 1834, was turned over to Portillà, along with future Governor Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
. The secularization occurred after Mexico won independence from Spain. The land was supposed to be returned to the natives, but most of it went to Mexican officials and their friends.
External links
- "The Lash of Greed", The Silver Dons by Richard F. Pourade (1963)