Stream the series now with the PBS App
HISTORIC PLACES WITH ELSA SEVILLA: CALIFORNIA’S HISTORY examines the encounter between the Indigenous People of the Kumeyaay Nation and the Spanish settlers in 1769 and its impact on the region 250-years later.
The series highlights the Indigenous People’s history and examines the first European settlement in California. Featuring interviews with members of the Indigenous People of the Kumeyaay Nation, Host Elsa Sevilla walks us through their rich, pre-contact history, their first encounter with Spanish settlers and shares the history and development of the missions.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1: repeats Thursday, May 9 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - Join Host Elsa Sevilla as she travels to an Indigenous People of the Kumeyaay Nation’s village in San Diego’s far-east county. Find out how the First People, during pre-contact, are: astronomers, horticulturists, healers, scientists and storytellers. We’ll explain how they use the solar system to hunt, harvest and how they follow the weather patterns to relocate their Sha’muls or communities throughout their traditional territory.
Episode 2: repeats Thursday, May 16 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - Join Host Elsa Sevilla as she heads to San Diego’s far-east county to learn how the Indigenous People of the Kumeyaay Nation survive in the desert, mountains, valleys and near the coast.
The Native’s in Pre-contact; live from the different natural habitats and the different water sources. Find out how the Native’s adapt and work with other Sha’muls or communities.
Episode 3: repeats Thursday, May 23 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - Join Host Elsa Sevilla as she interviews a Canadian historian who discovered Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s real origin, who appeared to be Portuguese but was in fact Spanish, and how Cabrillo’s 1542 voyage to Alta California laid the groundwork for a Sacred Spanish Expedition to San Diego in 1769.
Discover what happened during the encounter between the Indigenous People of the Kumeyaay Nation and the Spanish settlers in 1769. What happened during the first weeks and months following? Hear the Native’s perspective on this period in time.
Episode 4: repeats Thursday, May 30 at 9 p.m. - Find out what life was like at the San Diego Royal Presidio after 1770. Historic documents and a new alternate reality video shows the Presidio like never before. This episode dives further into the encounter between the Indigenous People of the Kumeyaay Nation and the Spanish settlers in 1769.
Episode 5: repeats Thursday, June 6 at 9 p.m. - California’s first city is founded 250-years ago. Learn about the impact of Spanish colonization on the Indigenous People of the Kumeyaay Nation. We’ll show you historical documents that give us information on how Indigenous People were treated inside the San Diego Mission by priests and soldiers.
Episode 6: repeats Thursday, June 13 at 9 p.m. - The First People of the Kumeyaay Nation have lived in the region for 12-thousand years and beyond, yet we still have a lot to learn about their civilization. They are resourceful, sophisticated, and they live in a complex society.
Watch On Your Schedule: Episodes are available to stream with the PBS App.
