Alta California

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/alta-california

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Alta California?Approximately 700,000 square miles (1.8 million square kilometers)
2. What is the capital of Alta California?Monterey served as the political and administrative center during the Mexican period
3. When was Alta California built?Formally established as a Spanish province in 1804 (as Nueva California)
4. What was Alta California and when did it become a Spanish province?Alta California was a huge land with mountains, deserts, and a long coast. It became a Spanish province in 1804.
5. Why did the Spanish build missions and presidios in Alta California?The Spanish built missions and presidios to protect their territory from Russian and British rivals and to manage the indigenous peoples living there.

Presidio: A Spanish military fort established to protect settlements and control territory.
Pueblo: A Spanish civilian town or village, often established near a mission or presidio.
Rancho: A large tract of land granted by the Mexican government, primarily used for cattle ranching after mission secularization.