Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by several groups of
Ohlone Native Americans. The first lasting European presence began with a
series of Franciscan missions established from 1769 by Father Junípero Serra.
On orders from Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, Spanish Viceroy of New Spain,
San Jose was founded by Lieutenant José Joaquín Moraga as
Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe (in
honor of Saint Joseph) on November 29, 1777, to establish a farming community.
The town was the first civil settlement in Alta California
In 1797, the pueblo was
