[WSGilcrest]

California was settled by SPAIN in 1769. The Mexicans ruled California from 1822 to 1848, less than 30 years.

[muawiyah]

California was in the initial stages of development under Spain, but it was so terribly difficult to get to the Spanish provisioned their mission system from the Philippines!

It was more like a separate colony than a part of Mexico.

Numerous English colonies had competing claims for most of it, and the Russians held the territory from San Francisco to the North.