Telling Tales Along Trails

Maria and her daughters stopping to get a drink of water near the Yuha Well. Illustration by Eva Vazquez.

How do archeologists find past trade routes? Many times, we find items or trails left behind by previous travelers — like the Yuha Well and other sites along the historic trail. These routes have stories about who moved from place to place, and why.

Lieutenant Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza was a Basque colonist in Mexico. He led two expeditions: a scouting expedition and an expedition with colonists. On the second expedition, which took place between 1775-76, he led 240 people on a journey from Sinaloa and Sonora in New Spain (now Mexico) to Alta California (now San Francisco, California). He wanted to establish a mission and presidio there.

The expedition included 240 individuals who were mostly of African, indigenous, and Spanish descent. The journey was not easy. They went with no fresh drinking water for long periods of time. The Yuha Well that still stands, provided the travelers with fresh drinking water.

Maria Feliciana Arballo was an Afro-Latina who traveled with Lieutenant Colonel Anza. One day, the travelers were tired and exhausted so they decided to stop and rest. To lighten their spirits, Maria started to dance and sing. Maria, along with her two daughters, settled in California after the expedition was over. Her reasoning for traveling along the trail was to give her two daughters a better life.

Does that sound similar to the story your parents have told you about their migration story?