Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californians, 1846-1890 - Paperback

by Leonard Pitt (Author), Ram a. Guti駻rez (Foreword by)

In his enduring study of Spanish-speaking Californians--a group that includes both native-born Californians, or Californios, and immigrants from Mexico--Leonard Pitt charts one of the earliest chapters in the state's ethnic history, and, in the process, he sheds light on debates and tensions that continue to this day. In a new foreword for this edition, Ram A. Guti駻rez discusses the shaping and reception of the book and also views this classic work in light of recent scholarship on California and ethnic history.

Front Jacket

Decline of the Californios is one of those rare works that first gained fame for its pathbreaking and original nature, but which now maintains its status as a classic of California and ethnic history.--Douglas Monroy, author of Thrown among Strangers

Author Biography

Leonard Pitt is Professor Emeritus of History at California State University, Northridge. He is the coauthor, with Dale Pitt, of Los Angeles A to Z: An Encyclopedia (1997). Ram A. Guti駻rez is Associate Chancellor and Professor of Ethnic Studies and History at the University of California, San Diego, and is coeditor of Contested Eden: California before the Gold Rush (California, 1998).