Secularization in the Nineteenth Century
There is a complex interplay among Native American, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo cultures during the first half of the nineteenth century. It is important to note that despite the Wars of Independence in Latin America, California was a marginal bystander remaining isolated from Mexico and its rebellion. This facilitated California sectionalism, as opposed to identification with Mexico. However, when the Mexican revolutionaries had success, California declared itself a part of the new Mexican empire. To understand the secularization and the Californios it ultimately benefitted, a brief review of the Mexican secularization act of 1833 as well as its subsequent aftermath, including the upsetting impact on Native Americans, shall be reviewed.
To begin, Mexico eventually won independence from Spain in 1821. The early years of the Mexican Republic noted mestizo migrants joining with the retired frontier Spanish soldiers. The mission system ended during this period of the 1820s and 1830s; this historic transition involved secularization, or the conversion of the missions into ordinary parish churches. Though the missions had deep roots in the community,
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This concern stemmed from the Spanish missions throughout Alta California which consisted of a series of 21 religious and military outposts, established to spread Christianity among the local Native Americans. Secularization, or the disestablishment of these missions, intended to mitigate this threat. Secularization was hailed as the solution given that it had worked well in most Spanish colonies, though secularization did not offer the same results when applied in California, as the citizens would soon