Strategic location of Pimeria Alta

We have seen how this region was strategically located within the trade networks of seashell and turquoise during the first millenium of Christian Era.

But even later, during historic times, when Armerica had been discovered by Europe, the trade with Asia, having our continent as a bridge, also gave this region a strategic importance for the Spanish Empire. This way, to keep the Pacific coast turned into an unprecedented priority for Spain.

This was the reason behind which Kino tried during his whole life of missionary, first in Baja California, and later in Pimeria Alta, to establish a land bridge to communicate Sonora to Baja California.

This bridge would be useful not only to supply California, but also "the China galleon could establish trade between Alta and Baja California..." In other words, what Kino wanted was to use Sonora and California as a bridge between Europe and Asia.

And even though the missionary couldn´t see this idea turn into a reality, as it hasn´t yet in our days, other nations also saw the advantage of controlling the region.

Already during the 1760´s, Russian ships were seen in Oregon, while both England and France also sponsored exploratory trips into the same area, and therefore putting in danger Spanish hegemony.

In 1769 and 1771, the Spanish expeditions of Portola had established five missions and two presidios in Alta California: San Diego de Alcala in 1769, San Carlos Borromeo del Carmelo in 1770, San Antonio de Padua and San Gabriel Arcangel in 1771, San Luis Obispo in 1772, and the presidios of San Diego and Monterrey.

All of this had been achieved in spite that only a small force of 61 soldiers and 11 Franciscan friars kept the Spanish presence in those places, which had the disadvantage of having to be supplied totally by sea.

Trying to solve this problem, several projects to open a land route through Sonora to California had been proposed. Viceroy Bucarely finally gave the Captain of the Tubac presidio, Juan Bautista de Anza, the permit he asked to establish this route.

Anza undertook two successful expeditions, one of exploration in 1774, and another of colonization in 1775. But we will return to them later.