Monterey Coast

The Monterey coast lies in central California, where bays, open ocean and inland valleys offered varied resources to Indigenous communities. Peoples of the wider Ohlone cultural region used fish, shellfish, game, acorns and other plants, and coastal paths linked different environments through seasonal movement. In the late eighteenth century Spanish colonisation established Monterey as an administrative and military centre. Missions and presidios brought new institutions and demands on Indigenous labour, while ships linked California with other parts of the Spanish Pacific. After Mexican independence, maritime trade continued, including the exchange of hides. Indigenous communities faced disease, displacement and profound changes in land use.