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Pasadena Before the Roses: Race, Identity, and Land Use in Southern California, 1771–1890
Incorporated in 1886 by midwestern settlers known as the Indiana Colony, the City of Pasadena has grown into a world-famous tourist destination recognized for the beauty of its Tournament of Roses Parade, the excitement of the annual Rose Bowl, and the charm of the Old Town District.
But what existed before the roses? Before it was Pasadena, this land was Hahamog’na, the ancestral lands of the Tongva people. Later, it comprised the heart of the San Gabriel Mission lands, and in the Mexican period, it became Rancho San Pascual. The 1771 Spanish conquest of this land set in motion several colonial processes that would continue into the twentieth century and beyond.
In Pasadena Before the Roses , historian Yvette J. Saavedra examines a period of 120 years to illustrate the interconnectedness of power, ideas of land use, and the negotiation of identity within multiple colonial moments. By centering the San Gabriel Mission lands as the region’s economic, social, and cultural foundation, she shows how Indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and American groups each have redefined the meanings of land use to build their homes and their lives. These visions have resulted in competing colonialisms that framed the racial, ethnic, gender, and class hierarchies of their respective societies.
But what existed before the roses? Before it was Pasadena, this land was Hahamog’na, the ancestral lands of the Tongva people. Later, it comprised the heart of the San Gabriel Mission lands, and in the Mexican period, it became Rancho San Pascual. The 1771 Spanish conquest of this land set in motion several colonial processes that would continue into the twentieth century and beyond.
In Pasadena Before the Roses , historian Yvette J. Saavedra examines a period of 120 years to illustrate the interconnectedness of power, ideas of land use, and the negotiation of identity within multiple colonial moments. By centering the San Gabriel Mission lands as the region’s economic, social, and cultural foundation, she shows how Indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and American groups each have redefined the meanings of land use to build their homes and their lives. These visions have resulted in competing colonialisms that framed the racial, ethnic, gender, and class hierarchies of their respective societies.
280 pages, Hardcover
Published October 9, 2018
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July 11, 2025
“In 1873 pioneers from Indiana left the cold harsh Midwestern winters behind to establish an agricultural colony in Southern California. From 1873 to 1886 the Indiana Colony grew from a small colony into the city of Pasadena.”
“This story represents the Indiana Colony as the beginning of the region’s history, displacing the history of the Tongva Indians, Spanish missionaries and colonists, and Californios (Mexican rancheros) that came before the roses.”
“The establishment of the San Gabriel Mission among the Tongva people in 1771 changed Indigenous cultural practices and land use patterns. Missionaries’ ideas about optimal land use affected how they sought to eradicate Indigenous culture and assimilate the Tongva into Christianity and Spanish culture. Because they considered farming and livestock grazing as indicative of a civilized society, Spanish missionaries imposed a labor regiment that required Indians to learn Spanish farming techniques and animal domestication as part of their “civilizing process.””
“Distribution and settlement of Rancho San Pascual’s land during the 1870s and 1880s followed Southern California’s broader settlement trends based on small-scale suburban agriculture or gentleman farming. This racialized vision of land use emphasized the development of the region through the establishment of small homesteads by white middle-class landowners.10 In 1873 the Indiana Colony purchased Rancho San Pascual and established its homes, renaming the land Pasadena in 1874.”
“By the 1880s, citrus groves, the American homestead, and the farmer had replaced the rancho, displacing the historical presence of the Californio population that had built the area. The opening of the railroad in the region in 1885 and subsequent land booms brought a steady flow of Euro-American tourists and settlers into Southern California, prompting a new vision of land use. The Pasadena of the 1890s moved away from its agricultural roots toward becoming a commercial tourist destination. This vision of optimal land framed Pasadena’s future into the twentieth century and beyond.”
“This story represents the Indiana Colony as the beginning of the region’s history, displacing the history of the Tongva Indians, Spanish missionaries and colonists, and Californios (Mexican rancheros) that came before the roses.”
“The establishment of the San Gabriel Mission among the Tongva people in 1771 changed Indigenous cultural practices and land use patterns. Missionaries’ ideas about optimal land use affected how they sought to eradicate Indigenous culture and assimilate the Tongva into Christianity and Spanish culture. Because they considered farming and livestock grazing as indicative of a civilized society, Spanish missionaries imposed a labor regiment that required Indians to learn Spanish farming techniques and animal domestication as part of their “civilizing process.””
“Distribution and settlement of Rancho San Pascual’s land during the 1870s and 1880s followed Southern California’s broader settlement trends based on small-scale suburban agriculture or gentleman farming. This racialized vision of land use emphasized the development of the region through the establishment of small homesteads by white middle-class landowners.10 In 1873 the Indiana Colony purchased Rancho San Pascual and established its homes, renaming the land Pasadena in 1874.”
“By the 1880s, citrus groves, the American homestead, and the farmer had replaced the rancho, displacing the historical presence of the Californio population that had built the area. The opening of the railroad in the region in 1885 and subsequent land booms brought a steady flow of Euro-American tourists and settlers into Southern California, prompting a new vision of land use. The Pasadena of the 1890s moved away from its agricultural roots toward becoming a commercial tourist destination. This vision of optimal land framed Pasadena’s future into the twentieth century and beyond.”
Displaying 1 of 1 review