From Spanish Presidio to the American Grid: The Hispanic Roots of San Diego’s Urban Core

Very close to the Mexican border, in the southwest corner of the United States, lies the city of San Diego . Its urban history began in 1769 with the arrival of a Spanish military expedition commanded by Gaspar de Portola , which marked the first permanent settlement in the territory that was known as Alta California . However, unlike the more formally urbanized administrative capitals and towns o