5:30 pm - Thursday, July 21

Talk: Killing the Demons at Mission San Diego de Alcalá

Chula Vista Library Civic Center Branch , 365 F Street, Chula Vista

Discussions, Talks, Panels & Forums

Richard Carrico, Department of American Indian Studies, San Diego State University

On the evening of November 4, 1775 warriors from Tipai villages throughout southern San Diego County banded together to attack Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Within a matter of hours, the mission structures were burned, religious objects were stolen, and Father Luis Jayme and two others were murdered. Spanish efforts to colonize San Diego had been dealt a serious blow. At day break survivors of the insurrection made the six mile trek west up the San Diego River to the Presidio de San Diego.

Their descriptions of the attack became the foundation for contemporary investigations which then formed the basis for decades of often erroneous historical accounts. Of the more than eighty Kumeyaay villages in San Diego at the time less than twenty took part in the revolt.

In this interesting and informative presentation, historian and anthropologist Richard Carrico will pinpoint which villages played a role in sacking Alta California’s first mission with specific emphasis on South Bay villages. Why did some South Bay Tipai villages attack the mission and why were others not involved? What was the rationale for the attack and what were the repercussions?

Through the use of a variety of contemporary documents from the 1770s blended with decades of research on the locations of native villages, Carrico will take us back to 1775 and give us an in depth look at the insurrection, it causes, its participants, and its legacy.

Admission/Cost: FREE Please Register

Location:
Chula Vista Library Civic Center Branch
365 F Street
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Thursday, July 21 - 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM