A presidio is a fortified base established by the 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...

 in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The fortresses were built to protect against pirates, hostile native Americans and enemy colonists. Other presidios were held by Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, on Elba

Elba

Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...

 and in North Africa

North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

. Later, with independence, the Mexicans garrisoned the Spanish presidios on the northern frontier and followed the same pattern in unsettled frontier regions like the Presidio de Sonoma

Presidio of Sonoma

El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks, was a military outpost established in Alta California in 1836. It was built to house troops under General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the Commandant of the Northern Frontier, as part of Mexico's strategy to subdue the Native Americans of the Sonoma Valley...

, at Sonoma, California

Sonoma, California

Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...

 and the Presidio de Calabasas

Presidio de Calabasas

The Presidio de Calabasas, also known as Fort Calabasas or Camp Calabasas, was a stone fortress built by Mexico in 1837 near Tumacacori, Arizona...

, in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. A short distance outside a presidio, would be a rancho del rey, or kings farm, a tract of land assigned to it to furnish pasturage to the horses and other beasts of burden of the garrison.

Mediterranean

Italy:

• Piombino
  Piombino
  Piombino is an Italian town and comune of circa 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno . It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma.-Overview:...
  
  
• Orbetello
  Orbetello
  Orbetello is a town and comune in the province of Grosseto , Italy. It is located c. 35 km south of Grosseto, on the eponymous lagoon, which is home to an important Natural Reserve.-History:...
  
  
• Talamone
  Talamone
  Talamone is a town in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Orbetello, province of Grosseto, in the Tuscan Maremma....
  
  
• Porto Ercole
  Monte Argentario
  Monte Argentario is a comune and a peninsula belonging to the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 150 km south of Florence and about 35 km south of Grosseto...
  
  
• Porto Santo Stefano
  Porto Santo Stefano
  Porto Santo Stefano is located in the municipality of Monte Argentario, in the Province of Grosseto, in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is one of the 2 major towns that form the townships along with Porto Ercole.-Position:...
  
  
• Porto Azzurro
  Porto Azzurro
  Porto Azzurro is a comune in the Province of Livorno in the Italian region Tuscany; it is on the island of Elba, located about 130 km southwest of Florence and about 90 km south of Livorno. It formerly called Porto Longone, and in 1557 Jacob VI Appiani, Prince of Piombino, granted Spain...
  
  

United States

Florida:

• The Presidio Santa Maria de Galve
  Presidio Santa Maria de Galve
  The Presidio Santa Maria de Galve, founded in 1696 by Spanish colonists, was in the area of Fort Barrancas at Naval Air Station Pensacola in northwest Florida, USA....
  
  , founded in 1696, near Fort Barrancas
  Fort Barrancas
  Fort Barrancas or Fort San Carlos de Barrancas is a historic United States military fort in the Warrington area of Pensacola, Florida, located physically on Naval Air Station Pensacola....
  
   at Naval Air Station Pensacola
  Pensacola, Florida
  Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
  
  

Louisiana:

• The Presidio Nuestra Señora del Pilar de los Adaes, founded in 1721 near the present day Robeline
  Robeline, Louisiana
  Robeline is a village in western Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 183 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Natchitoches Micropolitan Statistical Area....
  
  

Texas:

• The Presidio Fuerte de Santa Cruz del Cibolo, founded in 1734 and re-established in 1771 near Cestohowa, Texas
  Cestohowa, Texas
  Cestohowa is an unincorporated community in Karnes County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 110 in 2000.-Geography:...
  
   in Karnes County, Texas
  Karnes County, Texas
  Karnes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 15,446. Its county seat is Karnes City. Karnes County is named for Henry Karnes, a soldier in the Texas Revolution.-Geography:...
  
  , (between San Antonio and Goliad).
• The Presidio San Antonio de Bexar
  Presidio San Antonio de Bexar
  Presidio San Antonio de Béxar was a Spanish fort built near the San Antonio River, located in what is now San Antonio, Texas. It was designed for protection of the mission system and civil settlement in central Texas...
  
  , founded in 1718 in San Antonio
• The Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto
  Presidio La Bahía
  The Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía, known more commonly as Presidio La Bahia, or simply La Bahia is a fort constructed by the Spanish Army that became the nucleus of the city of Goliad, Texas, United States. Originally founded in 1721 on the ruins of the failed French Fort Saint...
  
  , founded in 1721, near Lavaca Bay, now in Goliad
  Goliad, Texas
  Goliad is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 1975 at the 2000 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Goliad County. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Goliad is located on U.S. Highway 59, named also for...
  
  
• The Presidio of San Carlos de Cerro Gordo, founded in 1772 in Big Bend Country
  Big Bend Country
  Big Bend Country is a term used in the Canadian province of British Columbia to refer to the region around the northernmost bend of the Columbia River, where the river leaves its initial northwestward course along the Rocky Mountain Trench to curve around the northern end of the Selkirk Mountains...
  
  
• The Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas
  Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas
  Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas, now better known as Presidio San Sabá, was founded in April 1757 near present day Menard, Texas, United States to protect the Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá, established at the same time. The presidio and mission were built to secure Spain's claim to the territory...
  
   San Saba, founded in 1772 near the present day Menard
  Menard, Texas
  Menard is a city in and the county seat of Menard County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,653 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
  
  
• The Presidio de la Junta de los Ríos Norte y Conchos, founded in 1760 just southwest of present day Presidio
  Presidio, Texas
  Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It stands on the Rio Grande , on the opposite side of the U.S.-Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The population was 4,167 at the 2000 census....
  
  

New Mexico:

• The Presidio Santa Cruz de la Cañada, in Santa Cruz
  Santa Cruz, New Mexico
  Santa Cruz is a census-designated place in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 423 at the 2000 census.-Colonial period:...
  
  
• The Presidio El Paso del Norte, founded in 1683 Santa Fe de Nuevo México
  Santa Fe de Nuevo México
  Santa Fe de Nuevo México was a province of New Spain and later Mexico that existed from the late 16th century up through the mid-19th century. It was centered on the upper valley of the Rio Grande , in an area that included most of the present-day U.S. state of New Mexico...
  
  , across the river from El Paso, Texas
  El Paso, Texas
  El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
  
   and later moved south in 1773

Arizona:

• The Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac
  Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac
  The Presidio of San Ignacio de Túbac or Fort Tubac was a Spanish built fortress. The fortification was established by the Spanish Army in 1753 at the site of present-day Tubac, Arizona.-Spanish Period:...
  
  , founded in 1752 in Tubac
  Tubac, Arizona
  Tubac is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 949 at the 2000 census. The place name Tubac is an English borrowing from a Hispanicized form of the O'odham name, which translates into English as "rotten". The original O'odham name is written...
  
  
• The Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
  Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
  Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón or Fort Tucson was a presidio located within Tucson, Arizona. The original fortress was built by Spanish conquistadors during the 18th century and was the founding structure of what became the city of Tucson...
  
  , founded in 1775 in Tucson
  Tucson, Arizona
  Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
  
  
• The Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate
  Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate
  The Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate, or Fort Terrenate, among several other names, is a former Spanish military presidio, or fortress, located roughly west of the town of Tombstone, Arizona in the United States of America.- History :...
  
  , founded in 1776 near the present day Tombstone
  Tombstone, Arizona
  Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
  
  
• The Presidio de San Bernardino
  Presidio de San Bernardino
  The Presidio de San Bernardino, Fort San Bernardino, or Camp San Berdardino Springs was originally the site of a Spanish fortress built in 1776 and abandoned in 1780. It was located a few miles east of present day Douglas, Arizona. In 1883, a temporary post was established by the United States Army...
  
  , founded in 1776 near the present day Douglas
  Douglas, Arizona
  Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico and a history of mining.The population was 14,312 at the 2000 census...
  
  
• The Presidio de Calabasas
  Presidio de Calabasas
  The Presidio de Calabasas, also known as Fort Calabasas or Camp Calabasas, was a stone fortress built by Mexico in 1837 near Tumacacori, Arizona...
  
  , founded in 1837 near the present day Tumacacori

California:

• The Presidio Real de San Carlos de Monterey
  Presidio of Monterey, California
  The Presidio of Monterey, located in Monterey, California, is an active US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently it is the home of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center .-Spanish fort:...
  
  , founded in 1770. Its rancho del rey was what became Rancho Nacional
  Rancho Nacional
  Rancho Nacional was a Mexican land grant in the Salinas Valley, in present day Monterey County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Vicente Cantua...
  
  . It is currently housing the Defense Language Institute
  Defense Language Institute
  The Defense Language Institute is a United States Department of Defense educational and research institution, which provides linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies and numerous and varied other customers...
  
  , in Monterey
  Monterey, California
  The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
  
  
• The Presidio Real de 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...
  
  , founded in 1769 in San Diego
  San Diego, California
  San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
  
  , its rancho del rey was what became Rancho de la Nación
  Rancho de la Nación
  Rancho de la Nación was a Mexican land grant in present day southern San Diego County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to John Forster...
  
  .
• The Presidio Real de San Francisco
  Presidio of San Francisco
  The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
  
  , founded in 1776 and now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
  Golden Gate National Recreation Area
  The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year...
  
   in San Francisco. Its rancho del rey was what became Rancho Buri Buri
  Rancho Buri Buri
  Rancho Buri Buri was a Mexican land grant in present day San Mateo County, California given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to José Antonio Sánchez. The name derives from the Urebure village of the Ramaytush speaking Yelamu tribe of Ohlone people who were settled by the banks of San Bruno Creek...
  
  .
• The Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara
  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...
  
  , founded in 1782 in Santa Barbara
  Santa Barbara, California
  Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
  
  . Its rancho del rey was what became Rancho San Julian
  Rancho San Julian
  Rancho San Julian was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José de la Guerra y Noriega. The grant name probably refers to José Antonio Julian de la Guerra...
  
  .
• The Presidio de Sonoma
  Presidio of Sonoma
  El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks, was a military outpost established in Alta California in 1836. It was built to house troops under General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the Commandant of the Northern Frontier, as part of Mexico's strategy to subdue the Native Americans of the Sonoma Valley...
  
  , founded in 1836 in Sonoma
  Sonoma, California
  Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
  
  . Its rancho del rey was what became Rancho Suscol.

Mexico

Sonora:

• The Presidio de San Felipe y Santiago de Janos, founded in 1685 in Janos, Sonora
• The Presidio del Pitic, founded in 1726 in Hermosillo, Sonora
• The Presidio Santa Gertrudis del Altar, founded in 1755 in Altar, Sonora
  Altar, Sonora
  Altar is small city in Altar Municipality in the Mexican state of Sonora. It is located in the northwest region of the state at . Surrounding municipalities are Sáric, Tubutama, Atil, Trincheras, Pitiquito, Caborca and Oquitoa. The northern boundary is with Pima County in the U.S...
  
  
• The Presidio de Santa Rosa de Corodéguachi, founded in 1692, near the Sonora
  Sonora
  Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
  
  /Arizona
  Arizona
  Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
  
   border and later moved to Fronteras, Sonora

Durango:

• The Presidio de Santa Catalina de Tepehuanes (1620 - 1690's?), in Tepehuanes
  Tepehuanes
  Tepehuanes is both a town and a municipality in the Mexican state of Durango. It is located in the North West of Durango at 25°12'"-26°25'"N 105°23'"-106°40'"W , at an elevation of about 1,830 meters...
  
  .
• The Presidio del Pasaje (1685), on Rio Nazas northwest of Cuencamé
  Cuencamé, Durango
  Cuencamé is a small city and seat of the municipality of Cuencamé in the state of Durango, which is in northern Mexico. Cuencamé was founded by the Spaniards around the 1890s. Towns near this city include Ocuila, Pasaje, Cerro Gordo, Pedriceña and Velardeña...
  
  .
• The Presidio de San Pedro del Gallo (1690's), in San Pedro del Gallo
  San Pedro del Gallo
  San Pedro del Gallo is a city and seat of the municipality of San Pedro del Gallo, in the state of Durango, north-western Mexico.El municipio de San Pedro del Gallo esta situado en el noreste del Estado de Durango, República Mexicana, con unas coordenadas de 25°33′N 104°18′W...
  
  .
• The Presidio de Santiago de Mapimí (1715), in Mapimí.
• The Presidio de San Miguel de Cerrogordo (1648-1767) in Villa Hidalgo
  Villa Hidalgo, Durango
  Villa Hidalgo is a town in the Mexican state of Durango. It serves as the head town of the municipality of Hidalgo....
  
  .

Chihuahua:

• The Presidio de El Paso del Río Grande del Norte (1683 - 1773), at Ciudad Juárez. Relocated to Carrizal in 1773.
• The Presidio de San Felipe y Santiago de Janos (1691-?), in Janos
  Janos, Chihuahua
  Janos is a town located in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. It serves as the municipal seat of government for the surrounding Janos Municipality of the same name. The 2010 Mexican national census reported a population of 2,738 inhabitants....
  
  .
• The Presidio de Casas Grandes (1686), was relocated to Janos in 1691.
• The Presidio de San Francisco de Conchos, founded in 1685 at San Francisco de Conchos
  San Francisco de Conchos
  San Francisco de Conchos is a town and seat of the municipality of San Francisco de Conchos, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. As of 2005, the town had a total population of 596....
  
  .
• The Presidio de San Bartolomé (? - 1710), located 20km east of Parral
  Parral, Chihuahua
  Hidalgo del Parral, is a city and seat of the municipality of Hidalgo del Parral in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is located in the southern part of the state, 220 km from the state capital, the city of Chihuahua, Chih....
  
  . Replaced by flying squadron operating from the Post of Valle de San Bartolomé (1710 - ?).
• The Presidio de Nuestra Señora de las Caldas de Guajoquilla, founded in 1752 in Jiménez
• The Presidio de San Fernando de Carrizal (1758 - ?)

Coahuila:

• The Presidio del Santísimo Sacramento del Valle de Santa Rosa, founded in 1780 in Melcho Muzquiz, Coahuila
• The Presidio San Juan Bautista del Río Grande, founded around 1703 in San Juan Bautista
  San Juan Bautista
  San Juan Bautista is:* The Spanish-language name of Saint John the Baptist. See also the disambiguation page at San Juan. The name also may appear as a Spanish translation of the French Jean-Baptiste.As a toponym, San Juan Bautista may refer to:...
  
  , now the present day Guerrero, Coahuila
  Guerrero, Coahuila
  Guerrero is a city and seat of the municipality of Guerrero, in the north-eastern Mexican state of Coahuila. The 2010 census population was reported as 959 inhabitants.-History:...
  
  
• The Presidio San Antonio Bucareli de la Babia, founded in the year 1774 in the present day La Babia, Coahuila
• The Presidio San Gregorio de Cerralvo, founded in 1626 in Nuevo Leon
  Nuevo León
  Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
  
  , Mexico