Mission Dolores district

We now leave behind the colorful flags of the gay district, as we approach the Latino neighborhood of Mission Dolores. One of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, it takes its name from the mission of St. Francis of Assisi, built by the Franciscans in the late 18th century. Now, we’re not necessarily all that familiar with the history of the United States, but remember that California was first colonized by the Spanish, then, following Mexican independence, became Mexican, and shortly thereafeter became independent before being annexed by the United States! You may not know it, but a good chunk of Western America used to belong to Mexico! Well…, we do agree that it actually belonged to the First Nations, but if I go back that far, you won’t see the end of it! It’s a super-complicated story, but the important thing to remember is that the Mexican-American War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ordered the Mexican Cession. Basically, Mexico surrendered a large part of its territory to the United States. Around 1.5 million square kilometers, which today matches all of California, Nevada and Utah, most of Arizona, part of Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. Plus some land in Texas, in addition to the independent Republic of Texas, which was not yet part of the United States, but that’s another story. In any case, it’s not surprising that the Mexican-American community is so strong in California, especially in the Mission district, which featured many ranchos, land given to retired soldiers by the Spanish and Mexican governments. In short, in the 1980s, a large influx of refugees fleeing their homeland arrived from Central and South America and the Middle East. Around the year 2000, with the dot-com boom, it was the turn of young urban professionals and artists to move in, accentuating the notorious problem of gentrification. Even though the Latino population has diminished as a result of increasing rents, the Mexican-American community, commonly known as Chicanos, remain dominant in this neighborhood. Anyway, I hope you’re hungry, because Mission District is the place to go for some of the best street food in Latin America!