Hunt Janin is an American writer living in southwestern France. He has written numerous nonfiction and scholarly books on a range of subjects, including medieval history and cross-cultural studies. Ursula Carlson is a professor emerita at Western Nevada College, Carson City, Nevada.

• Table of ContentsPreface: Alta California and the Californios Introduction: Californios Under Three Flags1. Taking Possession of Alta California: The Portolá Expedition2. The Naval Department of San Blas3. Missions and Missionaries4. Ranchos5. Presidios and Soldiers6. Pueblos and Their Inhabitants7. A Pirate Attack on Monterey8. The Old Spanish Trail9. Californio Men and Californio Women10. Foreigners in Alta California11. Governing the Californios12. Californios in the U.S.-Mexican War of 1846–184813. Land Titles14. Kaleidoscope of Californio Events15. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo16. The Eclipse of the Old Californio Order: From Rancho to Barrio17. Opinions on the Californios and Their Works18. Three Young Californio WomenConclusion: Six Calamities of Californio LifeAnnotated Chronology, 1510–1890Appendix 1: Notes on California Ports, 1769–1850Appendix 2: Rancho CamulosAppendix 3: Jo Mora on the Nuqueo Appendix 4: An Interview with the Californio Bandit Tiburcio Vasquez (1835–1875)Appendix 5: A Recipe for Puchero, a Californio Meat StewChapter NotesBibliographyIndex

“Students and teachers at all levels will be served to learn about the history of fellow citizens who have ties to Mexico and Latin America, a populace that may account for one in four US residents by 2050. Thus, by writing about the Californios—the name of the people from Spain and Mexico who colonized California between 1769 and 1848—Janin and Carlson deserve praise for informing readers that Spanish speakers and their descendants have long lived in the US...recommended”—Choice