Yaanga

Yaanga was a Tongva village near the Los Angeles River, in a basin where river, foothills and coast lay within reach of its people. A great sycamore later called El Aliso stood at the village and served as a gathering place and landmark. Traders and visitors came to a community that formed part of a network of Tongva villages across southern California.

In 1769 the Portolà expedition encountered Yaanga, whose residents offered the visitors food and shell beads. The Spanish founded the pueblo of Los Angeles nearby in 1781, bringing new demands for labour and conversion. Yaangavit worked at the growing pueblo and at missions, while floods and colonial policies displaced the community. In 1836 officials ordered another move, placing the village on ground vulnerable to flooding.